A Romulan mining vessel, under the command of Captain Nero, finds a decalithium deposit in the Hobus system, and begin preparing to extract it. They are forced to leave ahead of schedule when the star goes nova. This does not appear to be a regular supernova. Acting as the Federation Ambassador, Spock urges the Romulan Senate to begin preparing appropriate counter-measures, as he believes the nova will continue to grow, consuming multiple systems, if not the entire Romulan empire. The Senate doesn't believe him, but Captain Nero does.
