Claude von Riegan, Starfleet officer and captain of the starship "Derdriu", leads his crew on a mission to recover a relic sacred to the Nabatean people. What he doesn't expect is to be confronted by an Agarthan dreadnought or the rogue "Adrestia" in the Gronder star cluster. He's made a name for himself as a brilliant strategist, but he'll need both wits and luck to get the "Derdriu" to safety.