Without warning, a Starfleet ship is overwhelmed by a mysterious, alien aggressor - one who appears to possess an intimate knowledge of the vessel's tactical technology. Then a second Starfleet ship is attacked. And a third. Twenty-eight-year-old Jean-Luc Picard, captain of the U.S.S. Stargazer - a Constellation-class starship - is ordered to help form a desperate line of defense against the aggressor. But it seems nothing can stop the aliens' headlong plunge into the heart of the Federation