A high-stakes Star Trek action-adventure, this original novel thrusts Captain Christopher Pike and the crew of the USS Enterprise into a brutal conflict sparked by war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire.

When hostilities erupt between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire, Captain Pike races to bring the Enterprise home and join the fight. Instead, the ship becomes trapped in the deadly Pergamum Nebula, where ancient enemies wage a merciless battle—and the Enterprise and her crew become prizes in a far more dangerous game.

Scattered and cut off from Earth for an entire year, Pike and his formidable first officer, Number One, must search for their missing crew while struggling to keep the ship intact. As command fractures and time runs out, Science Officer Spock confronts a mystery that challenges even his extraordinary intellect—one that could determine not only the crew’s survival, but the fate of the Enterprise itself.