An armada of several thousand Borg cubes has wiped out a fleet of ships sent by the Federation and its allies. This time the goal of the Collective is not assimilation but extermination. Jean-Luc Picard, Will Riker and Ezri Dax unite in a final desperate bid to halt the Borg's genocidal progress through known space. But their three starships -- the Enterprise, the Titan and the Aventine -- are no match for the Borg armada. Or are they? With them is Erica Hernandez, former captain of the missing starship Columbia. Endowed with powers and insight gained from centuries spent with the alien Caeliar, she can end the Borg threat forever -- or transform it into a menace which will devour the entire galaxy.