The crew of Intrepid are adapting to their new circumstances after being thrown more than thirty years across the galaxy. Captain Lyle Kerrigan is continuing to take on the cargo hauling contracts that his ship must carry out to earn the funds needed for upgrades and supplies.

The former colony ship now possesses a wrinkle drive, capable of traversing long distances in almost no time at all, but there's much that is still required before they can contemplate resuming their original mission. Paine Wingate is settling into his role as Earth's ambassador on Kraken, where he hopes to expand upon the foundation that's been established to provide humanity a smoother entry once the truth of other races in the galaxy reaches his home planet.

Nightmares from his time spent as a slave in the Kr'Sal mines still haunt him, and now he has to confront the arrival of a new Kr'Sal ambassador to the space station. Alina Ballard is enjoying her new role in command of one of Intrepid's two Fleet Infantry squads.

Her latest recruits are coming along well, and she's confident that they'll be ready to face any hostility that might be directed toward the humans in the future. A surety that will be tested when she's approached by a woman from a strange new race who is pleading for the humans to save her entire species from genocide.

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