The Battlecruiser Alamo has fallen to the enemy, captured by the Xandari Empire. Copernicus has fallen, betrayed by her own government. Lieutenant-Captain Orlova and her crew have never faced a more desperate situation, but all hope is not lost as those who escaped continue the fight, both on the land and in the far reaches of deep space. The very survival of the Triplanetary Confederation now depends on a desperate plan, a last throw of the dice with the freedom of countless worlds at stake...