Despite a warning to return home, Cole isn't about to leave his allies before their little slug infestation has been dealt with. This time, he plans to take the fight to them. Of course, when humans make plans, the powers that be just sit back and laugh. While traveling through slip space, a tunnel fractures. Elsewhere, a portal under lock and key mysteriously goes missing. Those two events are only the beginning. As more dominoes begin to fall, Cole and his team are forced to make a choice. Go home, or work alone in a hostile system to finish their task. One thing is painfully clear: someone is working against them. Trying to get them out of the way but hasn't taken a lethal approach. Whoever is responsible sticks to the shadows, and Cole can't focus on them without taking his eye off what's most important. Chaos reigns supreme, but what else is new?