Kim Morden should be elated. Not only has her fleet commander promoted her to captain, but he's given her command of the RAS Verdun, a great honor for any up-and-coming officer, especially one whose career had such a rocky, deadly start. However, no honor can conceal Morden's disappointment when she discovers that her first assignment will be a routine mission to search for missing cargo ships in Derek's Triangle, a worthless, backwater sector outside Alliance control. Such a mundane mission is hardly appropriate for a ship of the line when the Milipa Empire is closing in around the Alliance, and Morden wonders whether command has forgotten or forgiven her past after all. Morden's irritation grows when she discovers that her new second-in-command is none other than Emma Holsey, an old friend turned enemy. Morden hasn't seen Holsey in ten years, but the hatred and blame between them flares back to life. Holsey fights Morden's every decision, hell-bent on making her first mission as miserable as possible. But when the search takes a terrifying turn and uncovers a sinister threat in the Triangle, Morden and Holsey must put their personal feud on hold if they're to stand any chance of getting themselves and their crew home alive...