Infinity ' s Prism Infinity ' s Prism is the first volume of the " " series and contains three short stories of " what - if " tales . Summary . A Less Perfect Union . 2155 : John Frederick Paxton and his Terra Prime movement are on the rise . The crew of the Starship deactivate his Verteron beam located on Mars , but it suddenly reactivates and fires . San Francisco is devastated by the blast , and the event turns Humanity against their intergalactic neighbors . 2264 : Captain Christopher Pike , commanding the , picks up a 29 - year - old distress call in Coalition space , and alters course to investigate . The , a Federation - like alliance of Vulcan s , Andorian s , Tellarite s , and Denobulan s , has been at odds with United Earth for over a century , and " Enterprise " attracts the attention of a . At the Robinson Nebula , " Enterprise " comes under fire from two Orion pirate ships , and is saved by the arrival and assistance of the Vulcan ship . After a tension - filled conversation , " Enterprise " heads for the nearest starbase to effect repairs . Meanwhile , on Earth , T ' Pol agrees to attend a seminar at Berkeley University to provide her insight on 22nd century history . Her Human contact , Amanda Grayson , escorts her across campus , where she witnesses several Human protests about the Vulcan ' s presence on Earth . T ' Pol responds by claiming Terra Prime has led Humans down the wrong path , but the students retaliate by reminding T ' Pol that the blast in 2155 was caused due to aliens on Earth . Realizing that she will not be heard or understood , T ' Pol leaves the campus . On Spacedock , Pike and Chief Engineer Scott survey the damage before returning to " Enterprise " , where Doctor Boyce informs Pike of his intentions to retire from Starfleet . Pike receives a message from Starfleet Command ordering him to return to Earth quickly , and " Enterprise " heads for the Human homeworld . On Earth , Pike takes part in a meeting with several of Starfleet ' s top brass , where he learns that Starfleet intends to retreat from the last century of isolation and extend the hand of friendship to the Interstellar Coalition . Pike travels to Death Valley , where he meets with T ' Pol , the last surviving member of Jonathan Archer ' s original " Enterprise " crew , and asks her to join the mission to Babel , where the talks between United Earth and the Coalition are going to be held . At first , T ' Pol refuses . As Pike speaks with her , however , she has further thoughts on the matter . As work continues on " Enterprise " s repairs , Commander James T . Kirk and his friend , Gary Mitchell , remark about the feminine qualities of the starship , realizing why such vessels are referred to as " she " . Years earlier , Mitchell had introduced Kirk to his future wife , Carol Marcus . Mitchell remarks how Kirk could have had his own command by now , but Kirk says that he would rather remain a first officer under Pike . Kirk sees a picture , one of himself , Marcus , and Mitchell at her graduation , seven months pregnant . Clearly upset , Kirk turns away and Mitchell apologizes for leaving the picture out . Glasses of Saurian brandy lead to Kirk ' s description of a sad event six months previously , in which Carol Kirk and their three - year - old son , David , were traveling aboard a ship bound for a scientific conference with the Coalition . The freighter was destroyed by a Vulcan vessel , who claimed to have received no message from the ship , though the distress calls were heard for light year s around . Kirk has had a strong hatred of aliens ever since . " Enterprise " takes on Ambassador Nancy Hedford to participate in the conference and departs Earth . Newly - appointed Doctor Leonard McCoy says goodbye to his daughter on Earth before joining Kirk in a game of chess . McCoy loses , and suggests that Kirk play Lady T ' Pol , who finally agreed to join the mission and is also on board . Kirk ' s outraged reaction silences McCoy . " Enterprise " arrives at Babel , where they are welcomed by the Interstellar Coalition . The conference gets underway , and Kirk reluctantly joins Pike and the away team to the surface . Once there , the team meets Sarek , the Vulcan representative to the Grand Council of the Coalition , and his aide , T ' Pring . Hedford spends time conversing with a Tellarite and Denobulan ambassador , while Pike trades space stories with Coalition Fleet Commander . T ' Pol attracts attention from several dignitaries and reminisces about her life with Charles Tucker III , the father of her cloned child . Sadly , her child died in 2155 . Fellow Ambassador , however , has less luck , arguing about foreign policy with Ambassador Shras of Andoria . Commander Kirk suddenly yells out as he receives unwanted attention from a Deltan Ambassador . He is approached by Sarek , who recites Kirk ' s history and tells him that he does not want Earth to join the Coalition because is preparing to secede . As well , the Klingon Empire is drawing its forces and is expected to launch attacks at United Earth and the Coalition within the next five years . Sarek makes his request to speak with T ' Pol privately , and departs . Kirk escorts T ' Pol to the planet , where she meets with Sarek . After Kirk leaves , however , T ' Pol reveals that she knows the man she is speaking with is not Sarek . As she is taken , T ' Pol is informed that she is now an honored guest of the Romulan Star Empire . The next morning , the ship and planet security are informed that T ' Pol is missing . A search for her turns up no evidence , and though Kirk admits to his involvement , Sarek informs the security that he made no effort to speak with Kirk or T ' Pol , suggesting that it must have been an impostor . Evidence in the chamber where " Sarek " and T ' Pol met reveals transporter traces , more than can be corroborated . T ' Pring ' s data suggests that three of the six transports were aimed at " Enterprise " , while the other three seemingly lead to empty space below " Enterprise " . , captain of the Vulcan vessel " " , realizes what the data means , but does not reveal the two thousand year old secret the Vulcans have kept . In orbit of Babel , the " Kuvak " bears down and aims at the mysterious point in space , but the Humans aboard " Enterprise " misinterpret the action . When the " Kuvak " fires at the point , Lieutenant Kelso orders shields up . A photon torpedo suddenly erupts , apparently from " Enterprise " , and slams into the " Kuvak " , blasting the ship to atoms . Despite " Enterprise " s non - involvement in the destruction , the Earth vessel is surrounded by Coalition ships , demanding their immediate surrender . On the surface , Captain Pike is phasered into unconsciousness . T ' Pring shares a transport code that allows " Enterprise " to beam herself and Pike to the Earth ship . Kirk takes command of the " Enterprise " , and T ' Pring orders a stand down of Coalition forces . " Enterprise " then leaves orbit , heading in the direction of the escaping vessel . On board the Romulan vessel , T ' Pol screams until spoken to by a Romulan . She realizes that the Romulans are indeed offshoots of her own race , and that their goal was to disrupt the peace talks between United Earth and the Coalition . The Romulans believe that , if Earth becomes part of the Interstellar Coalition , war with the Romulan Empire will occur , costing millions of lives . T ' Pol agrees to help the Romulans ensure that Earth does not join the Coalition . Pike awakens in sickbay and learns what has transpired . McCoy shares his doubts about Kirk with Pike , and Pike tells McCoy that Kirk really is a good officer . On the bridge , T ' Pring informs Kirk that the Romulan ship is either hiding to make repairs , or is waiting to make a strike on " Enterprise " . Lieutenant asks Kirk what his wife would have thought about his cooperating with a Vulcan , which provokes Kirk into a fight . Uhura holds the officers apart , but Stiles finishes by cursing at T ' Pring , who performs a nerve pinch . As Pike steps onto the bridge , the Romulan ship appears and attacks . " Enterprise " disables the ship , and Commander Kirk leads an away team to rescue T ' Pol . On the Romulan ship , Crewman Chekov manages to take out a Romulan before he is gravely injured . The rest of the away team manages to defeat the Romulan guards , and T ' Pol is rescued , while the only conscious Romulan asks for asylum . Back on " Enterprise " , Kirk apologizes to T ' Pol for his rude behavior during the mission . T ' Pol asks Kirk what fueled his hatred of Vulcans , and Kirk tells her that his wife and son were aboard the " " when it was destroyed by the Vulcans . Understanding , T ' Pol tells Kirk of the tragedy of her past . On New Years Eve in 2199 , T ' Pol and Tucker had been celebrating in New York City , when she accidentally showed her Vulcan ears . An angry mob descended upon her , Tucker fought back in her defense , and he had been killed by the angry Humans . Kirk and T ' Pol understand each other much better , and they come to terms with their pasts . The Interstellar Coalition holds a session to debate the entrance of United Earth and its Commonwealth Worlds . T ' Pol speaks of her experiences during her century on Earth , watching as Humans retreated from the interstellar community . She proclaims that she has always believed that United Earth and the Coalition will one day be ready to merge , if not today . She closes by asking everyone to share in her hope for the future , no matter how long it takes for the future to arise . In the end , Pike and Kirk discuss Earth ' s chances . Kirk wonders if T ' Pol might have helped Earth in the long run . When asked why he thought this , he simply replies that he has hope . A hundred years later , Sarek , his aide ( implied to be Tuvok ) and a Romulan watch a sunrise on Vulcan . The two remark on how negotiations with the Legaran s are going well , and how unfortunate it was that T ' Pol did not live to see it . Talk turns to the newly commissioned , the newest Coalition vessel , whose naming must , of course , have been a coincidence . The two men beam up to their vessel , and the future begins . Seeds of Dissent . 2010 : Khan Noonien Singh wins the Eugenics Wars . June 18 , 2376 : after capturing rebels Kira Nerys and Skrain Dukat , Princeps Julian Bashir of the Khanate starship " Defiance " stumbles upon the , which had been launched from Earth in 2010 . He revives some of the crew , which includes Shaun Geoffrey Christopher , Shannon O ' Donnel , and Rain Robinson , whom Bashir brings back to his ship to show how wonderful Khan ' s rule has been . Rain tells him it ' s the other way around , as she had been a refugee from the Khan - backed terrorist nuking of Los Angeles . Ezri Dax , a helot ( slave ) and Bashir ' s concubine , is actually a member of the nonhuman resistance to the Khanate ' s despotism . She learns from Christopher and Shannon that the " Botany Bay " has hard evidence of all of Khan ' s actions , primarily to show to their own descendants why they fled Earth . She copies all of their video files and documentation to an isolinear chip which she intends to get to Bynaus for mass distribution .