Stardate 3219.4: Kirk, Spock, McCoy and the Federation official Nancy Hedford, who suffers from Sakuro's disease, are on a shuttle, when they encounter a phenomenon in space that forces them to land on a planetoid. There they meet a man who has apparently been living there all alone, and who is reluctant to tell the whole truth. This man turns out to be Zefram Cochrane, the inventor of the warp drive who should have died a long time ago. The other inhabitant of the planet is the "Companion", a strange energy being, who lives in a sort of symbiosis with Cochrane. Kirk and Spock first attempt to fight against the Companion in vain, but then they manage to establish a communication using a modified universal translator. The Companion, who does not understand human emotions and desires, eventually takes over the body of Nancy Hedford, who was going to die. Since the Companion is unable to leave the planet, Cochrane decides to stay behind with her. Kirk promises that he will keep the whole story secret.

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