In this thrilling Star Trek novel, the crew of the Starship Enterprise embarks on its most ambitious assignment yet: to lead a courageous band of settlers to a far-off planet and defend the fragile new colony from alien threats amidst the mysteries of a stunning new Earth.

A six-month journey from the Federation, the planet Belle Terre offers a new life to more than 30,000 families, pioneers, scientists, expatriates, go-getters, loners, and entrepreneurs, all under the watchful eye of Captain Kirk and his crew. But the would-be colonists have barely settled in the untamed wilderness of their new home when Spock makes a startling discovery: not only does the planet’s moon contains a rare ore of almost inestimable value, that same moon is also violently unstable. Within months, it will inevitably explode—destroying all life on Belle Terre. Will the Starship Enterprise be able to save this new Earth and all its inhabitants before it’s too late?