The titanic battle between the Ghrell and the unified fleet of humans, Torlas and Bhalas rages on. After a devastating explosion nearly destroys the Daedalus, David Warwick is faced with an uphill fight to repel boarders and restore power to his vessel. If they succeed, they may well get home but failure means the loss of not only their lives, but the fragile alliances they have recently formed. The Ulysses continues their journey, fighting to restore all systems so they might return home. A duel between juggernauts intensifies the danger and when they are discovered, it seems like only a matter of time before they are captured or destroyed. Criminals on the hub intensify their game, putting investigators at risk along with conspirators on the wrong side of their activities. A young security officer finds himself in the difficult situation of having to trust someone he barely knows, a potential criminal in her own right with a shady past. All these things culminate in a dark portent discovered on Gaia, one that may spell doom for all sapient life in the universe.