While en route back to DS285, the Discovery receives a distress signal from a group of stranded religious monks on a pilgrimage to the abandoned desert planet Aurix II where two sacred artifacts are alleged to be located. The crew agrees to offer them transport to the planet, not knowing that the monks are part of a powerful ancient cult that seeks to sacrifice the Discovery and her crew in order to obtain the mysterious artifacts, which would ultimately open and stabilize a wormhole, the cult’s prophesied Gateway to a weapon of apocalyptic destruction. With telepathy and a hypnotizing chant, the monks seize control of the crew and ship, and transport the XO and a few other senior staff to the surface of the planet, forcing them to look for the artifacts, while holding the Captain – and his three returning children – hostage aboard the Discovery. Will the crew of the Discovery find the artifacts in time? Will they hand it over to the religious zealots to save their Captain, of risk opening an unstable wormhole that will annihilate the entire Avalon sector? Follow the adventure to find out!