Hunted by a powerful Imperial fleet, his friends infected by the Taint, Jess has only one place to turn — the homeworld of his amazing ship, the Wanderer.But his journey will reveal the origins of far more than just the Wanderer, and both the Empire and the Taint will be ready to pounce at any moment. Jess expects to learn how things started, but what he learns might also point to how everything will finish... and just how close that end may be.