Captain John Marlin, scarred veteran of a war long over, commands the space carrier ESS Hellmund. His mission - to find out who and what has been laying waste to the planets and ships on both sides of Earth's galactic borders with a hostile alien race. While haunted by his past, Marlin tries to deal with the demands of a task force filled with intrigue, espionage, and an artificial intelligence that seems to be sabotaging the mission at every turn. As the threat of intergalactic war looms, Marlin and his crew race to discover the dirty secrets that underpin their mission and decide the fate of the galaxy.