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"Come Away, Child" is the second story in Waypoint, Issue 5, part of the Waypoint miniseries, published in May 2017 by IDW Publishing in honor of Star Trek's 50th anniversary. The story is set in the 2260s and focuses on the personnel of an isolated Federation research outpost.

Description[]

We meet a young scientist at the very beginning of her career studying alien species, while respecting the Prime Directive. What could go wrong?

Summary[]

Science officer's log, stardate 3328.3
We've made a small detour from our course to deliver Ensign Herrada to a scientific outpost on Otari 2. The outpost is constructed to avoid detection by the natives, and crews only two.
Dr. Lewis, the outpost's director, is known for a somewhat obsessive interest in her research subjects. Whether or not Ensign Herrada is aware of this is unknown.

After two weeks in the Otari II outpost, Herrada has been unable to connect personally with Lewis, but notes that she was constructing an intricate facial bust of a male Otarian with a detailed backstory, seemingly as a hobby. That night Lewis goes missing, and Herrada discovers the bust being worn as an Otarian disguise so Lewis can interact with her subjects in the nearby island village.

When Lewis returns, Herrada confronts her, warning about risks to the Prime Directive. But Lewis says she's just learned more about their culture than in one year's worth of study. A yearly mating festival lasts one more day, the only time a stranger could visit the village, so the two work together to prepare for another interaction.

Lewis's character then meets a group of Otarians. However, some mistake by the universal translator leads the group to think she is a spy, and she is assaulted. Herrada primes the phaser on their aquaprobe, but over their communications system Lewis begs her not to fire at the natives.

Lewis is killed, her body burned in a large fire, erasing evidence that she was not from the planet. She'd wanted so badly to make a personal connection with the natives that she'd risked the Prime Directive, a desire Herrada could relate to.

Log entries[]

  • Personal log, Laura Herrada

References[]

Characters[]

HarryLaura HerradaGanira LewisMontgomery ScottSpock

Starships and vehicles[]

USS Enterprise (Constitution-class heavy cruiser) • canoe
Referenced only
USS Bradbury

Locations[]

Otari 2 (Otari II outpost)
Referenced only
Earth

Races and cultures[]

HumanOtarianVulcan
Referenced only
Dolgari

States and organizations[]

StarfleetStarfleet AcademyUnited Federation of Planets

Science and technology[]

aquaprobePADDphasersensorspearstylustelescopetransportertricorderuniversal translatorviewscreen

Ranks and titles[]

artistchiefcommanderdirectordoctorensignexobiologistspytraderwarriorxenoanthropologist

Other references[]

airassignment patchbonecommunicationdayecosystemevolutionFederation Starfleet ranks (2260s)festivalfirefishgenehourice ageislandlanguageloglog entrymonthoceanorbitoutpostpersonal logpersonal log, Laura HerradaPrime Directiveranksciencescience officer's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)snowStarfleet ranksStarfleet uniformStarfleet uniform (2265-2270)transporter roomtribeyear

Chronology[]

10 million years ago
Otarians evolved from an aquatic species that breathed air.
100,000 years ago - 12,000 years ago
Era of the most recent ice age on Earth.
2261
Ganira Lewis began studying the Otarians; Otari II outpost established.
2267 (stardate 3328.3)
USS Enterprise orbited Otari II to deliver Laura Herrada and pick up Harry.
2267 (stardate 3358.8)
Otari II outpost shut down following the death of Ganira Lewis.

Appendices[]

Related media[]

Background[]

Images[]

Connections[]

Star Trek: Waypoint Comics
#1 ("Puzzles" & "Daylily") • #2 ("The Menace of the Mechanitrons" & "Legacy") • #3 ("The Wildman Maneuver" & "Mother's Walk") • #4 ("The Fragile Beauty of Loyalty" & "Mirror, Mirror, Mirror, Mirror") • #5 ("Frontier Doctor" & "Come Away, Child") • #6 ("The Rebound Effect" & "The Fear") • Special ("Only You Can Save Yourself" & "Consider Eternity" & "My Human is Not" & "Histories") • Special 2019 ("Hearts & Bones" & "Unfathom" & "The Swift Spoke" & "The First Year")

Timeline[]

Published Order
Previous comic:
Frontier Doctor
Waypoint Next comic:
The Rebound Effect
Previous comic:
Boldly Go, Issue 8
Boldly Go
TOS comics Next comic:
Time Out of Joint
New Visions
Chronological Order
Previous adventure:
The Brain-Damaged Planet
Memory Beta Chronology Next adventure:
Death of a Star

External links[]

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