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Template:Realworld Captured by the Klingons, Nero and the crew of the Narada are condemned to work on the prison asteroid of Rura Penthe for the rest of their natural lives...
Nero, Number Two is the second of four comics depicting the unseen exploits and adventures of Nero that took place during the time of Star Trek. Released in September 2009 by IDW, the story was part of the planned storyline for the movie and elements appear in deleted scenes in the home release of the movie.
Summary
"Throw him back in his hole"
On Rura Penthe, Nero grapples with a Klingon dog as two guards look on, betting on which one will win. It appears that Nero is losing the fight when suddenly he punches the beast in the face, ripping one of the fangs from its jaw. Jumping onto the beast's hide, Nero launches the sharp tooth into its eye, knocking it dead to the floor. The guards look on, laughing. "Never bet against a Romulan," one says, before dragging Nero back to his "hole" – a type of confinement cell. The Romulan remains determined, for he believes the fights are keeping him strong as the years go by.
A few years later, Nero is brought before Koth, the commander of Rura Penthe. He tells Nero that the Narada is still in orbit and that he admires Nero's silence and determination despite years of torturous conditions, but Koth assures Nero they will break him soon enough. Nero remains unphased, maintaining his stoic posture. He knows his ship is there; he can feel her waiting for him. The commander continues speaking, noting how Nero has made fifty-seven escape attempts, killing twenty-two guards, and that he should be dead. But for the first time in history, the mines of Penthe have become profitable, and Koth knows credit belongs to the indefatigable Narada crew. They are worth more to him alive than dead.
The scene shifts back to the mines, where Nero's crew are working under guard. Nero continues to hack away at a piece of rock, but all he can see is Spock's face, the one who, as Nero perceives, betrayed the Romulan people, the one who betrayed him.
The crews' internment continues: the days turn into months, then into years. Ten years go by, then fifteen, then an entire twenty years expire without change in the crews' circumstance.
Nero is next shown talking to a figure in a dark passageway; Quocch is his name. He sells Nero a drug, one that can quiet his mind and allow him to see her again, his love. He begs her to come with him on the Narada but she doesn't want to. "You'll be back soon enough," she says.
"He gave me hope"
"Captain...?" comes a voice. It is Ayel, Nero's first officer. He says he has found someone who can help them, a Human fellow-prisoner named Clavell. The three meet in a secluded corner. Clavell is suprised to meet "the one who does not speak," the moniker he ascribes Nero. Ayel interrupts, saying he speaks for his captain. Clavell explains that he is a stellar cartographer who was captured while taking scans of Klingon territory. He says he can help them locate when and where the black hole opened up, where Spock appeared, but he surmises Nero is planning something big.... and he "wants in."
Back in his cell, Nero realizes something. The drugs he has been taking have done more than ease his mind; they have opened it. It appears to him that Romulans no longer have weaker physic abilities than their Vulcans cousins as once believed. He discovers he can communicate telepathically to Ayel, and tells him to help the Human in any way possible. For the first time in years, Nero believes there is actually a chance for escape: he may yet be able to exact his revenge on Spock.
In orbit of Rura Penthe, the Narada remains in a quarantine field. Two Klingon engineers are onboard, trying to figure out how the ship's systems work, but every time they pull one piece out, it grows back, much to their bewilderment and frustration. One of them is fully aware of the importance of their task; if they can uncover its secrets, they will be sent back to Qo'nos as heroes. Suddenly, a computer console comes to life. The less adroit Klingon is excited to think they have got it working, but the other realizes it was not anything they did. Before they can do anything else, a shock rips through the systems and electrocutes them both.
On the surface, Clavell believes Spock has not arrived yet, but he encounters a problem. He cannot calculate with adequate precision where he will arrive by using only the basic tools at his disposal. In fact, he is not sure that a computer exists anywhere that is capable of doing it. But Nero knows he can find one, for Clavell has given him hope. The guards then interrupt their scheming. "Nero!" they shout. "You're coming with us."
Back in orbit, the Narada is powering up. Its weapon systems open fire on the field generators and then on the surface of the asteroid.
Nero is taken to a cell where a guard holds the weapon he used to defend the Narada all those years ago. He tells Nero to take a good look, as it is the last piece of Romulus he will ever see. This is going to be Nero's last interrogation; his silence ends today. Five minutes later, Ayel is patiently waiting in his cell when he hears a voice. "Ayel," it says. It is Nero, communicating telepathically. "The wait is over."
"Where are you taking us?"
By then Nero has already killed the Klingons and freed himself. He, Ayel, Clavell, and Quocch fight their way to a docked shuttlecraft, where they head for the ship, finally leaving Rura Penthe behind. Ayel reports all systems are online but the helm is locked out. There is a course already laid in, and neither he nor Nero can change it. The ship begins to move by itself. Nero gazes out through the viewscreen. "Where are you taking us?" he wonders aloud. "Have you found Spock?"
Memorable quotes
"I can see his face everywhere"
"I can see his face everywhere. The one who betrayed us."
- - Nero, in the Klingon mines
"Here's your dose. But price goes up. Getting harder to sneak this in. You pay Quocch what Quocch wants, Quocch gets you what you need."
- - Quocch, the smuggler, to Nero
"So. Nero. 'The one who does not speak.' You're something of a legend around here. The guards think you're a demon straight from Gre'thor."
- - Clavell, to Nero
"You'd better have a new stash of Tri-ox arriving for me, Quochh, or I'll throw you in solitary!'"
"Why you ask me that? Are you stupid? Whole point of contraband is keep it quiet!
- - Klingon guard and Quochh
"You did it! It's online!"
"But I didn't touch anything! It just turned on by its–"
- - Klingon engineers, just before being electrocuted on the Narada
"Ayel. The wait is over"
- - Nero, telepathically to Ayel
Approaching the Narada
"How do you know that thing's not gonna fire on us?"
"She won't. She's waiting for us. She's waiting for me"
- - Clavell and Nero, approaching the Narada
Background Information
The Klingon "dog" bites Nero's ear
- The issue sold an estimated 8,762 copies in comic specialty stores in September 2009. [1] These figures do not cover copies sold in bookstores, etc.
- This issue was available in two covers. The primary cover by the issue's artist David Messina featured Nero while the retail incentive cover featured a photo of Montgomery Scott.
- The story is partly based on a deleted sequence from Star Trek. Nero's line "The wait is over" appeared in the film's trailers and served as a promotional tagline. [2]
- The story also suggests there is a psychic link between Nero and the Narada, and reveals the reason why Nero's right ear is shorter than the other (due to a fight with a Klingon "dog").
- The smuggler's name is spelled as both "Quocch" and "Quochh".
Creators
- Based on Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry.
- Writers:
- Tim Jones and Mike Johnson
- Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (story)
- Artists:
- David Messina (line art, cover art)
- Giovanna Niro (color art)
- Chris Mowry (letter art)
- Editor:
Characters
Ayel
Nero
Main characters
Minor characters
- Clavell
- Rura Penthe inhabitant
- Koth
- a one-eyed Klingon, commander of Rura Penthe
- Quocch
- Rura Penthe inhabitant and contraband smuggler
References
- Tri-ox
- a calming drug
black hole; captain; cargo hold; PADD; disruptor; Federation; Gre'thor; Helm; Human; Klingon; Klingon monster dog; Mek'leth; mining; mining vessel; Narada; Neutral zone; Romulan; Romulus; Klingon shuttlecraft; Quarantine field; Qo'noS; Rura Penthe; Starfleet; Stellar cartographer; Telepathy; Vulcan; warp drive
See also
External link
- Template:NCwiki
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