The superdreadnought is hunting the cultists. The chase takes the ship and crew to Muultar, a planet tortured by three raging stars. Why would anyone live in such a place? But they do, and the Phraim-'Eh cult has found fertile recruiting ground. Their plan is nothing short of taking over the whole planet. How are they doing it? And who are those other aliens in the system, the ones who take issue with Reynolds? They seem more powerful than the superdreadnought. Are they the long-lost Kurtherians, and is Muultar ground zero?