On a mission to an unexplored planet near the Klingon/Romulan border, the U.S.S. Enterprise travels to the planet Eloh to negotiate Federation membership. But upon arrival, Capt. Picard and his team find themselves face to face with Commander Sela, an old Romulan enemy--who's there to convince the Elohsians to join the Romulan Empire.

Left behind by a long-vanished civilisation, the mysterious portals known as the Gateways can enable spacefarers to reach the very furthest corners of the galaxy. Their discovery opens the door to a whole new era of exploration...and who knows what may be on the other side? More than 200,000 years have passed since the Iconians first created the network of interdimensional gateways across the stars. Known to those who came after them as 'the Demons of Air and Darkness', the Iconians vanished from time and space millennia ago -- or did they? Summoned to an emergency briefing at Starfleet Headquarters, Captain Jean-Luc Picard is stunned to discover that the legendary Iconians have returned at last, and are offering to sell the secrets of their long-lost technology to the Federation. To prove their sincerity, they have reactivated their dormant gateways...but the result has been conflict and chaos throughout the Alpha Quadrant. Warring Klingons and Romulans are among the hazards Picard and his crew must contend with as they seek to discover the sinister truth behind the Iconians' mysterious return.

On the cusp of their epic battle with Shinzon, many of Captain Jean-Luc Picard's long-time crew were heading for new assignments and new challenges. Among the changes were William Riker's promotion to captain and his new command, Riker's marriage to Counselor Deanna Troi, and Dr. Beverly Crusher's new career at Starfleet Medical. But the story of what set them on a path away from theStarship Enterprise TM has never been told.UNTIL NOW. One hundred years ago, the recurring conflicts between the Bader and the Dorset ended mysteriously when both races colonized the distant planet Delta Sigma IV -- a world located far from the destructive wars of their people -- and quickly became the Federation's perfect example of interspecies cooperation. But there are now rumblings of trouble in paradise, as an investigation led by Kyle Riker -- Commander William Riker's estranged father -- into this harmonious society has discovered a shocking, immutable truth: over the next few generations, the reaction to a native gas will spell the extinction of Delta Sigma IV's inhabitants.Captain Picard and his crew, still recovering from the tragic events that have tarnished the career of one of the Federation's most decorated captains, must come to the aid of a world that once knew only peace, but now faces emerging violence and chaos...and Commander Riker must confront the reality that his own father may be held responsible for Delta Sigma IV's almost certain downfall!

Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his crew become caught in the middle of a violent outbreak of destruction between the Bader and Dorset races that have colonized the planet Delta Sigma IV as they race against time to stop the carnage and save their own lives. Original.