Through Commodore Slater’s efforts， humanity’s war with the council is over。 He gave Earth the tools it needed for victory， but at a great cost to himself。 The Franklin was destroyed， and his core is slowly dying。

Discovered by those who seek to use him for profit， Slater is taken to Sarton Station。 His captors intend to use him for their own amusements， but they have made a deadly mistake。 They have placed a derelict core right where he wants to be， in a station surrounded by all the salvage and biomass he needs to recover his mind and rebuild the Franklin。

Slater needs to work quickly， as a new threat emerges from the darkness of space， a threat more deadly than the council， a threat that has its sights set on Earth。