Greater Than the Sum

Introduction (blurb)
The Starship Rhea has discovered a cluster of carbon planets that seems to be the source of the quantum energies rippling through a section of space. A landing party finds unusual life-forms inhabiting one of the planets. One officer, Lieutenant T'Ryssa Chen -- a half-Vulcan -- makes a tenuous connection with them. But before any progress can be made, the Rhea comes under attack from the Einstein -- a Starfleet vessel now controlled by the Borg. The landing party can only listen in horror as their comrades are assimilated. The Borg descend to the planet, and just as Chen accepts that she will be assimilated, the lieutenant is whisked two thousand light-years away.

A quantum slipstream -- instantaneous transportation -- is controlled by these beings in the cluster, and in the heart of the cluster there is now a Borg ship. Cut off from the rest of the Borg collective, the Einstein cannot be allowed to rejoin it. For the sake of humanity, the Borg cannot gain access to quantum slipstream technology.

Starfleet Command gives Captain Picard carte blanche: do whatever he must to help the beings in the cluster, and stop the Einstein no matter the cost.

Summary
The USS Rhea is exploring a cluster in star cluster NGC 6281 when they come under attack from a Borg vessel constructed from the former USS Einstein (dubbed the Frankenstein). T'Ryssa Chen, a member of an away team that had just encountered a group of mysterious constructs, is about to be assimilated when she is transported, apparently by slipstream, to Maravel, a planet she visited in her youth.

Picard is in the process of assembling another new command crew, following the mutiny during the previous Borg crisis, when Admiral Nechayev asks him to investigate the Borg presence in NGC 6281. He is provided with a multivector agent, comprised of various previous defences against the Borg, and also transphasic torpedoes, only to be used in an emergency. He agrees to take T'Ryssa along as his new contact specialist.

The Enterprise arrives at NGC 6281 where the crew eventually realise that the star cluster is a living entity, with the constructs being extensions of it. They also discover the Rhea frozen in time, with many of the crew badly injured or partially assimilated. This was the entity's attempt to protect them, just as it sent T'Ryssa to safety.

The Frankenstein, meanwhile, was sent to a colony of former Borg drones led by Hugh, who refer to themselves as the Liberated. A group of them arrive in a vessel called the Liberator and offer the Enterprise their assistance, also asking for their help to be able to procreate.

The Frankenstein attempts to assimilate one of the star cluster's planets. The Enterprise engages them but the multivector agent fails to work because of a new armour. The entity refuses to allow any fighting and separates them. It is decided the multivector agent must be administered by allowing someone to be assimilated with it in their system on a suicide mission. Hugh volunteers.

The Enterprise and the Liberator track down the Frankenstein but the entity refuses to allow them to approach. Picard and T'Ryssa convince it the Borg's way of life is sterile and it changes its mind. The Liberator is captured by the Borg but only Hugh is onboard. The multivector agent takes effect and the Borg cube is destroyed. The entity also delivers the Rhea to them so its crew can be saved. The Liberated depart, grateful.

With the crisis over, Picard agrees to Beverly's request to try for a baby and she becomes pregnant. However, some time afterwards, the Borg launch attacks on Barolia and Acamar, decimating them. The USS Bhutto, Leybenzon's new ship, attempts to defend Barolia but Leybenzon's attempt at a suicide mission allows them to analyse the multivector agent. The Enterprise is recalled to Earth.

Characters

 * Abby Balidemaj • Bazel • Beron • Dawn Blair • ch'Regda • T'Ryssa Chen • Chi'iot • Jasminder Choudhury • Beverly Crusher • Derek • Dina Elfiki • Joanna Faur • Gonzales • Rebekah Grabowski • Guinan • Hegol Den • Hugh • Paul Janiss • Miranda Kadohata • Rennan Konya • Leung • Lyton • Nuax • Geordi La Forge • Zelik Leybenzon • Qing Long • Lorlinna • Margark • Mimouni • Alynna Nechayev • Nina • Nuax • Jean-Luc Picard • Sekmal • Seven of Nine • Natasha Stolovitsky • T'Hala • T'Lana • Taurik • Telos • Caithlin Tomei • Tropp • Vallasa • Vogel • Worf • Thyyshev zh'Skenat

Adam • Arjuna • Arturis • B-4 • Nanietta Bacco • Batai • Lionardo Battaglia • Gautama Buddha • Antigone Chen • Santa Claus • Zefram Cochrane • Domenica Corsi • Brenna Covington • Jack Crusher • Wesley Crusher • Damocles • Nella Daren • Data • Jadzia Dax • Devil • Dirani • The Doctor • Donatra • Aoki Farrenga • Colin Farrenga • Sylvanna Farrenga • Vicenzo Farrenga • Bart Faulwell • Sigmund Freud • Gaanth • Richard Galen • God • Gowron • Armin Grabowski • Ruth Grabowski • Haden • Laura Heimbold • Henry V • Hera • Felisa Howard • Ishmael • Kathryn Janeway • Janyl • K'Ehleyr • Kahless the Unforgettable • Kamie • Kamin • Kauravas • Jarem Kaz • Kor • Krishna • Edward La Forge • Silva La Forge • Locutus • Lore • Bruce Maddox • Martok • Meribor • Moriarty • Sara Nave • Q • Rhea • William Riker • Ro Laren • Helena Rozhenko • Nikolai Rozhenko • Sergey Rozhenko • Sarek • William Shakespeare • Shinzon • Benjamin Sisko • Noonien Soong • Spock • Surak • Sylix • T'Lana • Tared • Tinman • Titans • Traveler • Deanna Troi • Lwaxana Troi • Vallejo • Garem Valz • Karina Wozniak • Marien Zimbata • Lewis Zimmerman

Starships and vehicles

 * USS Einstein (Nebula class) • USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E) • USS Rhea (Luna class) • Liberator • USS Bhutto • Frankenstein

USS Aventine • USS Titan • USS Victory • USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) • USS Voyager • USS Timur • USS Odyssey • USS Indefatigable • USS da Vinci • USS Hera • USS Equinox

Locations

 * Starbase 103 • Unimatrix Zero • Deep Space 9 • Happy Bottom Riding Club • Sto-Vo-Kor • Garden of Eden

Stellar

 * NGC 6281 • Antares Nebula • Beta Columbae system • Orion Arm • Carina Arm • Sol system • Delta Quadrant • Gamma Quadrant • Sector 10 • Lagoon Nebula • Trifid Nebula • Omega Nebula • Eagle Nebula • Bajoran Wormhole • Barolian system • Columba sector

Planets, moons, and planetoids

 * Acamar • Cestus III • Barolia • NGC 6281-34 III • Maravel • Earth • Betazed • Kevratas • Dorvan V • Qo'noS • Soukara • Bajor • Chin'toka • Veridian III • Deneva • Organia • Barolia

Planetary

 * Middle East • La Barre • France • Starfleet Headquarters • San Francisco • Golden Temple • Amritsar • Kurukshetra • Land of the Lotus-Eaters • Sherwood Forest

Races and cultures

 * Borg • Human • Mabrae • Noh Angel • Vulcan • Cosmozoan • Andorian • Saurian • Edoan • Kataan • Klingon • Betazoid • Kurlan • Liberated • El-Aurian • Benzite

Nosgoh • Immortal • Q • Traveler • Species 116 • Species 8472 • Rhaandarite • Jem'Hadar • Romulan • Reman • Barolian • Bolian • Aurelian • Vorta • Tormandar • Iconian

States and organizations

 * Liberated • Starfleet • United Federation of Planets • Starfleet Academy • Borg Collective • Dominion • Starfleet Corps of Engineers • Federation Judiciary Council • Daystrom Institute • Federation Council • Klingon Empire • Romulan Star Empire

Other

 * ablative hull armor • Analects • anethezine gas • angel • Artha Shastra • Asian • Axanar crystal topiary • Bajoran Wormhole • bar mitzvah • Bhagavad Gita • The Boomer Diaries • bow • Bible • Buddhism • Bularian canapés • cat • Chinese • coffee • credit • diamond • Dominion War • Dracula • dragon • Earl Grey tea • eggnog • elf • Emergency Medical Hologram • environmental suit • fembot • Four Noble Truths • French • graphite • Greek • horse • strawberry ice cream • IDIC • imp • Japanese • Jewish • kahs-wan • lake dragon • Lyentha faith • mek'leth • milkshake • Moby Dick • nanoprobe • Odyssey • open cluster • Othello • pencil • phaser • pierogi • poker • Project Endgame • Punjabi • quantum slipstream • quantum torpedo • Qur'an • Royal Protocol • Russian • Starfleet brat • tea • tiger • Toward a Prehistory of the Milky Way • Transformational Relativity and Continuum Distortion Propulsion • transphasic torpedo • Trojan horse • tubegrub • Vulcan lyre • watercress sandwich • The Wolfman • The Wizard of Oz • yoga

Appendices
Announced at Shore Leave 2007, this novel continues the post-Nemesis storyline past Before Dishonor and sets the stage for the Star Trek: Destiny trilogy by David Mack.

Related stories

 * - Precedessor story
 * -Picard references his and Crusher's divorce in this alternate future.