The new Rownt contracts have helped Command retake the rebel planets. And now refugees are fleeing toward the edges of space. Ex-Command officer Tyce Robinson has a price on his head. He and the crew of the Dragon have all broken laws, and they refuse to be condemned to an Earth prison. Tyce's grand escape plan goes south when an alien ship attacks both his ship and the Command cruiser chasing them. With both ships disabled, Tyce throws a Hail Mary. What he doesn't know is that his academy roommate is the officer charged with arresting him.
Sub-Commander John Burden has always put his world first. He once thought his academy roommate Tyce was the same. Command sends John out with orders to arrest his ex-best friend, leaving John caught between demanding an explanation from the friend he remembers or throwing the traitor in a prison cell. But when unfamiliar aliens attack, his feelings are unimportant in the face of immediate danger. He has to survive, protect his people, and warn Earth that the Anla and Rownt are not the only aliens interested in humanity.