Seven young Peacemakers. One newly commissioned ship. Two decades of relative calm. As Van continues his role in unifying the known stars, reports flow in to the Fist of Orion that ships are going missing. Not stolen or destroyed, but vanishing from the ports and digital records that stretch back centuries. All that remains of these ships is a digital echo—a ghost. A spirit. A cry for help, stretching across the endless miles of void and mystery. And every ship’s journey brought them close to an area the Peacemakers have avoided for years, and even decades. The Deeps. There’s something out there, and it’s taking ships and lives and history, and Van won’t allow it—even if finding out means sending his own children into the blackest parts of known space. But first, the Fafnir will go, because Van doesn’t command from the rear. He leads from the front, and that means the old man—and his seasoned crew—will go into the unknown one more time. For the Guild. For justice. And, maybe, just because Van still has a burning desire to see what’s out there, where the maps end...and ghosts call out across the void of eternity, so endless and deep.