You can never go home. Alannis Giovanni has followed in her family's footsteps and joined the United Colonies Fleet. As a bare Ensign, she's been assigned to the Fleet's newest, most powerful cruiser, the Constellation, on it's maiden voyage: a simple show-the-flag mission that should be good for her to learn what it is to be an officer. But things are never simple. At their most distant port, they come across allies in need. The Ghornath species...