The Rangers have won another difficult battle on many fronts, but their main enemy is still in the picture, the Marei. Seems there is only one way to solve the problem once and for all, to have them join the Outer Confederation. The Marei need a home, so which of the systems inside the Confederation could accept millions of people from another race that no one really knows except the Rangers themselves? The answer comes in the form of solving another problem, the pirate band. That mysterious group of planets that surrounds all core planets and are a thorn in their side.
By nature these planets are not very populated, which is exactly what David is looking for. So, while Councilor Yawolla Cualsic heads an impressive force to try and save her people, David embarks on a mission to free the people on the pirate worlds. But will he free it on time for the arrival of the Marei, will Yawolla even be able to persuade her people that this is the right course of action for them, and will other enemies show themselves to be a larger problem than the Marei? Book two will take you to strange alien worlds, push the limit of technology that the ADIW are capable of, and splinter allies. But will the Rangers be able to survive all these changes at once, or will they follow the Federation and break apart?