Carson Flint believes things may have finally settled down in the Crossroads. Until a shady representative from the Commonwealth arrives on a desperate mission to save the daughter of a high ranking official. The problem seems easy enough to solve, but little do they know this one girl’s abduction may well be the catalyst for a second galactic war. Meanwhile, Shev Gaul attempts to return a prisoner to an old friend. Catastrophe strikes, stranding him in a burning forest on a planet where the settlement is beset by madness. Out of shape, running low on time, and injured, he must move fast to escape…or burn to death in obscurity.