Spock introduces himself but refuses to allow Zar to call him 'Father.' Zar shows Spock where Zarabeth is buried and Spock uses his phaser to cremate Zarabeth's remains. However, due to a miscalculation on Spock's part, they find a young man of twenty-eight instead of a small child, who tells them that his name is Zar and that his mother Zarabeth died in an accident many years before. Using the Guardian, they journey back into Sarpeidon's past and rescue his son. Spock tells Kirk that he anticipated McCoy's desire to accompany them and so he asked T'Pau to secure permission for the three of them. McCoy, who also intends to go, seeing as how he also remembers Zarabeth and has been working on and subsequently discovered a way to medically reverse Zarabeth's Atavachron conditioning so that she can return to the future along with them. Kirk, however has required from Spock that he be able to accompany Spock on his journey.

T'Pau agrees to intercede on Spock's behalf and Spock is granted permission to use the Guardian. Spock asks Captain Kirk for shore leave and after Kirk insists that Spock tell him why, Spock admits what happened in the past and that he must go to Vulcan and speak to T'Pau and ask her to petition the Federation Council for permission to use the Guardian of Forever to travel back to the past and retrieve his son. After bringing this to Spock's attention, Spock realizes that his involvement with Zarabeth when he and McCoy were accidentally stranded in the planet's ice age has resulted in the birth of a child. While studying the archaeological records of the now-destroyed planet Sarpeidon, a scholar aboard the Enterprise finds pictures of an ice age cave painting depicting a Vulcan face. Now he has gone back to meet his son!Įxcerpts of copyrighted sources are included for review purposes only, without any intention of infringement.

On the planet Sarpeidon, 5,000 years ago, Spock knew a beautiful, primitive woman. But Spock has already used the portal to journey to the past. The starship Enterprise must protect the Guardian – or destroy it.

Summary From the book jacket The Romulans attack the planet Gateway, where Federation scientists are studying the Guardian of Forever – the mysterious portal to the past.

Yesterday's Son by A.C. Crispin