Countdown , Number Three Summary . Aboard the " Narada " , looking upon the remains of Romulus , a grief - stricken Nero laments the loss of his wife , his unborn son , his family , his people , and his homeworld . Three Federation hospital ship s arrive , having been sent to evacuate Romulus . The lead ship , the " Galen " , hail s the " Narada " , asking if they can lend assistance . Nero – who suddenly feels strangely calm – replies that he has several injured refugees and requests that they be beamed aboard , and the ships lower their shields to prepare for transport . It is a trap , however : Nero believes the ships did not arrive " after " the destruction of Romulus by accident , reasoning that the Federation is there to claim Romulan space for their own . He thus transports explosive mining devices to all three ships , destroying them . Later , the " Narada " is hailed by the Ruling Council of the Romulan Senate , who have escaped on a Senate shuttle . Nero brings the Council aboard ; among them is the Praetor , who carries with him the Debrune Teral ' n , an ancient weapon which serves as the greatest symbol of the Empire . The Praetor tells Nero the survival of the Senate will ensure the survival of Romulan civilization . Nero responds that their civilization is dead , and that it died when the Senate ignored his warnings about the Hobus star . The Praetor counters that " humble miners " should respect the heavy responsibility of their leaders ; he intends to find a new home for the Debrune Teral ' n , a burden which Nero should be fortunate is not his . At this , Nero grabs the weapon and kills two Senators and the Praetor , " relieving " him of his responsibility . He then asks the surviving two Senators how they intended to rebuild the Empire , threatening them with the Teral ' n . With their friends and families dead and their homeworld destroyed , Nero and his crew take part in a Romulan tradition . According to the tradition , when a loved one died , the mourners painted ancient symbols of love and loss onto their skin , indicating grief . In time , the paint would fade , which meant that the mourning period was over and life went on . Rather than using paint , however , Nero and his crew tattoo the symbols onto their skin , making them permanent . As Nero laments , life does not go on ; they died with their loved ones and their planet , and all that is left is revenge . Meanwhile , on , Spock , and Ambassador Jean - Luc Picard discuss the continuing threat of the Hobus star . The destruction of Romulus was only the beginning ; the more the supernova destroys , the more it grows , and within weeks , it could reach both Vulcan and Earth . The only way to stop it is to use red matter create a singularity in the star ' s core that would devour it from within . A Vulcan councilor reports that they have already begun processing their decalithium stores into red matter , with favorable results . In order to get close enough to the center of the star to deliver the red matter , Ambassador Spock proposes the use of a prototype vessel known as the " " , which was designed to withstand unstable atmospheres . The ship ' s designer and pilot , Geordi La Forge , has agreed to lend his support . Elsewhere , the " Narada " crew discovers the existence of a cloaked military facility known as The Vault , using an encrypted code acquired from the murdered Senate . The Vault ' s existence was known only to the Romulan High Command ; its purpose is to provide a safe haven for the ruling council in the event of a threat to the homeworld . Nero gains entrance to The Vault , stating that the Praetor gave Nero his Senate codes and the location of the facility before dying of injuries sustained in the destruction of Romulus . Aboard the facility , Nero meets Commander D ' Spal , who explains that The Vault is the rendezvous point for what remains of the Romulan fleet . Nero asks D ' Spal for weapons to help the " Narada " survive the current crisis . She introduces him to an advanced weapons system of Romulan design which utilizes retrofitted Borg technology . In addition to giving their ships warp , cloak ing , and sensor capabilities superior to those of Federation vessels , it also uses self - repairing nanotechnology which can fix any damage and allows it to anticipate potential threats and modify its systems accordingly . As Nero looks on in awe , D ' Spal states that the " Narada " would make a fine prototype for this weapons system . Back on Vulcan , La Forge has arrived with the " Jellyfish " . He greets Picard , Spock , and Captain Data , noting he thought he had left all the adventure behind when he left Starfleet to design his own ships . In a laboratory where the red matter is being developed , Data reveals the details of their plan to La Forge : a single drop of red matter will be fired from the " Jellyfish " into the center of the Hobus star , creating a " unique singularity " ( a " homemade black hole , " as La Forge notes ) , which will absorb the supernova ' s energy . At The Vault , the " Narada " has been out - fitted with the Borg weapons system . D ' Spal reveals that she knows Nero ' s true intentions – to avenge the destruction of Romulus – and she wants to help him do it . The " Narada " is capable of bringing their enemies to their knees , and Nero intends on starting with Vulcan . On Vulcan , La Forge and Data reminisce while the " Jellyfish " is being modified to safely carry red matter . In Ambassador Picard ' s quarters , Picard and Spock discuss the discovery of the bodies of the Romulan Senate floating in space , near the last known location of the Federation ships that were sent to evacuate Romulus . There are no signs of the Federation ships , and over the past few days , there have been reports of other ships vanishing near Romulan space , not only those of the Federation , but those belonging to the Cardassian s and the Klingon s , as well . Spock theorizes that Nero is behind all of this , a frightening prospect given Nero ' s warning that he would blame Vulcan should Romulus be destroyed . Spock reveals that he will be piloting the " Jellyfish " rather than La Forge , since there is a high probability that whoever carries out this mission will not return ; La Forge is still a young man , but Spock is " reaching the end of [ his ] adventures . " Spock also feels obliged to carry this mission out to the end , as it was he who first warned of the star ' s danger and who failed to predict when it would go nova . Picard expresses his understanding , and assures Spock that he has made arrangements to prevent Nero from carrying out his threat to Vulcan . Elsewhere , the advanced " Narada " has just finished destroying another Federation vessel . Nero gives the order to prepare the " Narada " for the final warp to Vulcan . Ayel expresses reluctance at this , reminding Nero that they are miners , not soldiers . He suggests that they wait until the Romulan fleet has been reassembled . Nero replies that there is no time for that , as Spock and the Federation are no doubt racing to save Vulcan . He tells Ayel to trust his captain , just as he trusts his crew ; they are all ready . Suddenly , the " Narada " is struck by weapons fire . Multiple Klingon Birds - of - Prey have decloaked and surrounded the " Narada " . One of the attacking ships hails the " Narada " , informing the crew that they are wanted for crimes against the Klingon Empire for violating their borders and slaughtering their citizens . The Klingon gives Nero and his crew a warning :