As the U.S.S. Titan ventures beyond the outermost reaches of known space, the telepaths in her crew - including diplomatic officer Deanna Troi - are overwhelmed by an alien cry of distress, leading the ship to the scene of a shocking act of carnage: a civilization of interstellar "whalers" preying upon a familiar species of sentient spaceborne giants.

As Captain William Riker attempts to negotiate an end to the victimization of these creatures, however, he discovers things are not exactly as they seem. An intriguing Next Generation thriller from Christopher L. Bennett.