First published 1999
Captain Jean-Luc Picard stands on the bridge of the USS Enterprise, gazing at an artificial construct that dwarfs imagination. The Dyson sphere stretches two hundred million kilometers across, its interior surface exceeding that of 250 million Earth-sized planets. The Federation considers this structure their most remarkable find ever. Picard believes the sphere holds answers to fundamental questions about humanoid evolution across the galaxy, perhaps even revealing secrets about the Borg's origins. The Enterprise crew begins their archaeological investigation of what may be the universe's greatest treasure trove. Then sensors detect a neutron star hurtling toward the sphere on a direct impact trajectory. The collision will obliterate everything. Multiple intelligent species live within the sphere's vast interior spaces, and they face complete annihilation. Picard must transform his mission from patient scientific exploration into an urgent rescue operation. Time runs short as the neutron star approaches. The Enterprise alone stands between countless civilizations and extinction. Picard faces an impossible choice between preserving archaeological wonders and saving lives.
Genres: science-fiction, space, adventure, space-opera
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, impossible-choice
Setting: Dyson Sphere, USS Enterprise
Period: Future
229 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Pocket Books