This New York Times bestselling novel by one of the writer/producers on the original classic Star Trek explores a young Spock grappling with the opposing desires that clash during a dangerous, deadly mission.Years before he came to be known as the best first officer in the fleet, Spock was a conflicted young ensign, serving on the Starship EnterpriseTM under Captain Christopher Pike. Struggling to reconcile his many obligations-those forced on him by his Vulcan heritage, and those chosen by him upon his enrollment in Starfleet Academy-Spock must also balance the desires of his own heart. Those conflicting demands intersect during a mission to retrieve one of his world's most sacred artifacts, a relic of Vulcan's ancient past-the search for which will reveal dark and deadly secrets, forever altering the course of Spock's life and defining the man he became. A classic tale from D.C. Fontana, one of Star Trek®'s original producers and the writer of such classic episodes as "Journey to Babel" and "This Side of Paradise."