The USS Spartan is assigned to investigate an interstellar geodesic dome that was detected drifting out of the Briar Patch by Starbase 88. Spartan’s away team boards the centuries-old domed starship, finding no humanoid crew. Instead, they discover a vast and ancient forest interlocked in a vicious circle with an insectoid civilization. The insects can only survive by consuming the sap of the trees, and their consumption has driven the forest to near-extinction. Before the Spartan crew can negotiate a solution, the geodesic dome’s distance from the Briar Patch has allowed its automated systems to calibrate, and the dome sets course for landing on a nearby planet, home to a pre-warp civilization under the protection of the Federation.