All that thinks can learn. All that feels can suffer. Jade’s decision to join Cyrus in Empty Space continues to have unexpected ramifications for the team. The government has accepted the AI’s vital to the mission. Will they be so accepting when she admits the changes haven’t stopped? Kat and Cyrus are desperate to help their friend and are willing to do anything, including turning to help from a woman the government considers a dangerous traitor. Disrupt command and control, and you’ve all but won the war. While Jade’s problems are a concern, alien trouble grows on the frontier. A human warship has gone missing, and a Defense Directorate worried about alien sabotage needs the Fleet of One to track it down. What should be a simple search and rescue mission turns into a battle for survival against the most unexpected enemy of all.