Captain Oren Galaxa and his crew are stretched thin. For the last six months, Jon Bledsoe has terrorized the quadrant with ruthless Encarta attacks, equipped with an army of the genetically engineered beasts and an impenetrable cloak that renders his ship invisible to any sensor. His body count stands in the hundreds with no end in sight. After months of arriving to nothing but gruesome aftermaths, Starlight is ordered on leave. But while Oren and his family help Rin Cooper prepare for her coming-of-age celebration in Sahmot and the rest of his crew plans their own vacations, President Lokar has convened the Summit. Behind closed doors, five people will decide the quadrant's fate, and Oren feels nothing but foreboding when he discovers his mother is involved. To make matters worse, Rin has become increasingly secretive as of late, fixated on growing her powers at any cost-including her own life. The pressure is building, and soon, it's going to blow. When it does, nowhere and no one will be safe.