As the first Alsean to serve aboard a Protectorate warship, Rahel Sayana thought her empathic sense would be an advantage. She never imagined it could be a weakness.

Captain Ekatya Serrado has her hands full with a new empathic officer, an attempted murder, and a missing cargo ship. Finding the lost ship only adds to her problems: its crew lies dead amid signs of alien predators. When those signs appear on her own ship, she must find a solution or face a similar fate. 

The clock is ticking, but Ekatya has a resource she never had before. Rahel's weakness is also her strength, and she will stand between danger and those who need her—no matter the risk.