In the aftermath of the third world war on Earth, little survived of the planet's history to speak of what was lost.  Governments were demolished, what was left of the cities was in chaos, records were non-existent... or meaningless.  Nothing was left behind to differentiate between people: their past merits and achievements went up in atomic ashes, and their futures depended on wit and survival instinct.  With these ties to their former lives gone, alliances formed for protection, but sometimes a friendship blossomed.  From just such a fellowship between Zefram Cochrane and Lily Sloane, the Earth's future was reborn.

There is not much known about Lily Sloane prior to the Borg attack on the Phoenix in 2063.  But in the days that followed, her bravery, honesty, and candor earned her a place in the historic events that shaped her little blue planet into one of the galaxy's formidable forces.  A trained aerospace engineer from before World War III, Sloane was a driving force in realizing Cochrane's vision of a warp engine.  while her motives remain a mystery to this day, her contribution to the construction of the Phoenix is undeniable.  And when the unknown assailants begon their attack, her first instinct was to protect her creation.

Sloane suffered radiation poisoning from the damaged ship, and was transported to the Sickbay of the Enterprise-E, where she received treatment while still unconscious.  Doctor Beverly Crusher had to revive her when the Borg attack spread throughout the ship, and, not knowing the difference between friend and foe, the terrified woman broke away from the crew in an attempt to escape.When she encountered Captain Jean-Luc Picard, he convinced her that he was not her enemy, and revealed the truth of what was happening.  A little overwhelmed but ever adaptable, Sloane was fascinated by the technology surrounding her on the Enterprise -- forcefields and phasers and holodecks would not be conceived for many years.

In the short but perilous time they spent together, Picard and Sloane came to deeply respcet and trust each other.  It was through this quickly-forged bond that Sloane made another critical contribution to Earth's future.  As events unfolded, it became clear that the logical course of action was to abandon the ship and blow it up in order to annihilate the Borg.  But Picard was not reacting logically; he had ordered the crew to stay and fight so he would not have to sacrifice the Enterprise.  Despite misgivings and outright disagreement with their Captain's decision, the crew obeyed his commands and stood their ground... but Sloane had other plans.  Unaccustomed to following any orders but her own, particularly if she thought they did not make sense, Sloane faced off with Picard and forced him to confront his obsession with punishing the Borg.  Although the Enterprise was ultimately saved from her explosive fate, if Lily Sloane had not been there to influence Picard, the battle with the Borg may have had another ending altogether.