The mighty Trill System has fallen to the Barelaon horde. Lianetta Jansen and her ragtag crew flee the deadly Raylan Climlee, now calling himself Overload of Trill System. After a smuggling mission goes wrong, however, Lia and Caladan find themselves on board a prison ship heading for a remote asteroid. There they meet an incarcerated journalist from the secretive Cask System, who might hold the key to their escape. On the remote fire planet of Ergogate, Harlan5 is left in charge of the Matilda. When the ship is hijacked by three young freedom fighters, the droid is roped into a mission which will bring him face to face with some of the deadliest creatures in the galaxy. Giant creatures, outlawed tech. And a heartbreaking choice Lia must make if she is to give the Estron Quadrant a chance of survival.