The Seed has taken hold, body, mind, and soul. Now under its control, Una and Jinare have become relentless drones, driven by vengeance. As Chapel struggles to untangle the lies binding them together, La'An, Spock, Scotty, and D6 fight to reconnect with the Enterprise, but first, they must survive the crushing abyss and a colossal sentient squid guarding the way to the surface. Aboard the Enterprise, Uhura intercepts a strange signal pulsing from Poilant's surface, faint, fragmented, and impossible to trace. But Ortegas spots something else: a glowing red light spreading across the terrain, its shape disturbingly familiar. Is it a ship? Or something far more dangerous?