Humanity migrates to a new planet, the secrets of which Kim Keller will have to unravel. After the failure of the Betelgeuse colonisation mission, Kim is back on Earth, where she is an increasingly popular figure. Meanwhile, advance scouts on planet Antares have witnessed some distressingly strange events. Worried about the future of this new mission, the sponsors of the Antares project call upon Kim to accompany the first colonists, offering legal amnesty for Alexa and Mark in exchange. It’s the beginning of a new adventure for the young woman and her friends.

Gegen Ende des 22. Jahrhunderts ist die Menschheit in der Lage, in entfernte Regionen des Universums vorzudringen und nach bewohnbaren Planeten zu suchen – gleichwohl ein gefährliches Unterfangen. Schon die erste Mission geriet ins Stocken, die zweite gar zu einem Fiasko. Die Besiedlung eines gänzlich anders gearteten Ökosystems voll unbekannter Gefahren birgt eben zahllose Risiken. Im Mittelpunkt der weit ausgreifenden Erzählung steht die Biologin Kim Keller. Sie ist bereits auf einem kolonisierten Planeten, Aldebaran-4, aufgewachsen und nicht zuletzt deshalb mit den Eigenheiten exoterrestrischen Lebens bestens vertraut. Mehr noch: aus einem heimlichen Kontakt mit einem humanoiden Außerirdischen ging ihre Tochter Lynn hervor, die über einige sehr spezielle Eigenschaften verfügt. So findet sich Kim schließlich als Beraterin bei einer Expedition zu einem neuen erdähnlichen Planeten im Antares-System wieder. Diese steht jedoch von Anfang an unter keinem guten Stern...

An epic new Star Trek saga by New York Times bestselling author Greg Cox set during the original Five-Year Mission! The final frontier erupts into chaos as vast quantities of a rare energy source are discovered beneath the surface of Baldur-3, a remote planet beyond the outer fringes of Federation space. Now an old-fashioned “gold rush” is underway as a flood of would-be prospectors, from countless worlds and species, races toward the planet to stake their claim. The galactic stampede threatens the stability of neighboring planets and space stations, as widespread strife and sabotage and all-around pandemonium result in a desperate need for Starfleet assistance. Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the Starship Enterprise are dispatched to deal with the escalating crisis…which lies on the other side of a famously perilous region of space known as the Antares Maelstrom.

The Antares mission is underway. Kim, her daughter and her companions are on board the interstellar ship that carries the would-be colonists. Conditions are far from ideal, though. The fanaticism and bigotry of a large number of the passengers, all members of the project leader’s sect, are putting everyone on edge. As well, there are rumours of substandard equipment for the expedition. By the time they reach Antares, Kim and her friends are already disillusioned... and the worst is yet to come.

During the early days of the colonisation of Aldebaran, the second colony ship is lost in transit with all hands, prompting Earth to abandon the project and strand the first wave of colonists. And yet, not everyone perished with the ship. A small group of survivors find themselves on a shuttle, headed towards an unexplored planet. Faced with the dangers of their new home as well as dissensions within the group, they soon discover they may not be alone...