The Old Wolf limps for home. A dark predator tracks her. And a malevolent entity awaits them both.

Wounded in battle, her crew tormented by the heartbreak of their last mission, battlecruiser Tenacity trudges back for the Republic of Sanctuary. But the distress call of a long-lost derelict leads to a side-trip Captain Dath Raker cannot ignore. And more, the shipwreck holds a mystery that may threaten the whole galaxy.

They are not alone in their investigation. A battleship from the Golgothan Star Empire, the Republic's most terrible enemy, has picked up the transmission, too. And her captain has a very personal vendetta to settle with Raker and his crew.

Both ships—and captains—speed to answer the call.

Neither can begin to suspect the horror waiting for them in the Deep.