Captain Vance, still plagued by the ill-effects of a poison dart from a mission to Declo, now faces a crew torn apart by their desire to return to Federation space and completing their mission of finding fugitive Trin Lestor and the Bluestar. Crew alliances shift as Vance makes one last, desperate attempt to repair their tunnel drive so they can get home. It's a mutiny in deep space as the military fleets of two planets battle to destroy the SS Truxtun.