Millennia after the collapse of human civilization, humankind battles to rebuild an interstellar empire, and Stephen Gregg and Piet Ricimer leave the Free State of Venus to seek their fortune amid the perilous opportunities along the new exploration frontier.

The Venus Asteroid Expedition is en route to the "Mirror," an impenetrable membrane to another universe that holds all the riches of the Federation, but the only point of entry is the point through which Landolph and his men traveled long ago—with most of the men never returning.

Fending off a Federation attempt to take over her ship, intergalactic pirate captain Sarah Blythe vows to make the Federation President pay for her cargo losses and plans to join the Venus rebellion. Reprint.