Three days following the last vacuum flare, the stream of data flowing through the cross-temporal wormhole link with the primordial plasma remained unabated. Uhura had needed to dump it to Starfleet’s central science database as quickly as possible to avoid using up all the memory in the Enterprise’s library computer. And still the transmissions continued.

“But what have we really gained from it?” Admiral Cartwright asked. He sat at the head of the table in Headquarters’ conference room, accompanied by Admiral Kirk, Captain Spock, Commanders Scott and Uhura, and Rajendra Shastri. “Our translators haven’t been able to make heads or tails of it, aside from the common mathematics and physics. The rest is too alien to even begin to comprehend.”

“For now, perhaps, Admiral,” Spock replied. “But in the attempt, we may make other unanticipated discoveries about physics and the nature of the universe. Eventually we will find a basis for interpreting the knowledge the primordial civilization has sent us. It may be the work of generations to decipher the sheer volume of information. But that is true of many scientific endeavors. There is still much we do not know about the prehistory of Earth or Vulcan. There remain many gaps and unanswered questions. But every answer we do find is valued.

“This contact is an extraordinary discovery in itself: proof that intelligent life existed in the primordial minutes of the universe, a time when we had hitherto assumed no life or complexity could exist. That knowledge alone will refine our understanding of physics in ways that may lead to new technologies in the decades or centuries to come.”

“But was it worth the cost, Captain Spock?” Cartwright asked. “In their attempts to be heard, these plasma beings caused hundreds of deaths. They almost devastated the Earth, the whole Solar system.”

“There have been many disasters resulting from botched first contacts,” Admiral Kirk put in. “The Xindi, the Partnership, the Sagara, the Horta, the Gorn. That risk of fatal misunderstanding is always there, Lance. That’s why it’s so important to embrace understanding going forward, so that the same mistakes don’t happen again.

“It’s not about whether it was worth it. It happened. We have to live with it—and try to profit from its lessons. That’s all we can do.” Kirk’s somber tone suggested that he was contemplating his own recent failure with the Warborn.

Seeking to ease the dark mood, Uhura leaned forward. “There’s no point in trying to lay blame here, Admiral Cartwright. This was a tragic misfortune for everyone involved. A chain of accidents that grew out of all predictable control.” She traded a look with Scott. “I can’t even bring myself to blame Nomad for setting all this in motion. Even it was created in an accident, from two probes sent out on benevolent, scientific missions. In its own way, it suffered from a loss of memory just as much as I did.”