“But she’s gone now. She’s as good as dead. And the woman who took her place… you didn’t have the courage to face me, to understand what I was to you or what you’d done to me. And so you never rediscovered the work we’d done. You abandoned the plasma beings as completely as you abandoned me.

“That’s what’s going on now, Nyota! Don’t you get it?” He flung out an arm, gesturing toward the universe beyond. “It’s the plasma beings. A dying civilization, calling out for someone to remember them. They got one brief answer, raising their hopes—and then nothing.

“So they’ve been boosting their gain, trying to push a signal through. Pouring more and more energy into their quantum wormholes, aiming at the star systems where they picked up our earlier, fragmentary attempts at contact.”

Spock’s brows rose in alarm. “The energy of the primordial plasma is effectively limitless by our standards. With more of it being applied at each attempt… there is no telling how destructive the vacuum flares may become.”

Shastri’s gaze still bored into Uhura, though. “If you had tried harder, if you’d tracked me down and confronted me… I would’ve reminded you of your research. I don’t know if I could’ve still done it with you, but at least you would have known. You would’ve resumed contact with them long ago. And none of this would be happening now.

“That’s not because some killer robot wiped your memory. That’s because you turned away from getting it back.” He leaned forward, resting his palms on the table. “Because you gave up on your past. You gave up on me. And so you gave up on them—on a dying civilization crying out for your help.

“Just look what’s resulted.”

Spock had the good grace to look disapprovingly at Shastri on Uhura’s behalf. But it was more than she deserved. Shastri was right—she had succumbed to her fear and taken the easy way out, avoiding her past rather than facing the pain it caused. She had deprived her family, and herself, of twelve years together. She had thrown away a chance at a lasting love.

All of which paled in comparison to the greater catastrophe she was responsible for.

Chapter Sixteen

U.S.S. Enterprise