Two weeks above Trill have seen the crew of the Ulysses acclimatize themselves to their new surroundings, but on the eve of their journey to the Thomar Expanse, the crew receives new orders to report to Task Force 72 of the Fourth Fleet for reassignment. Independent factions are popping up throughout the area of space formerly occupied by the Star Empire, and it’s up to the Task Force to open up diplomatic channels with these new groups.

Personal issues threaten to overwhelm a member of the crew when the command team receive word that a Starfleet officer has been killed aboard a prisoner transport by an escaped convict. A convict who just so happens to be the older brother of Lieutenant Prida. With the ship scheduled to join up with the rest of the Task Force for a special mission behind Romulan lines, Captain sh’Elas defies orders and takes Ulysses on the hunt…