After Gummy bribes the right people, Te'a is able to pursue her dream of being a pilot. As it turns out she is a gifted pilot, whose accomplishments quickly earn her notoriety. But her mav-erick decision-making puts her at odds with her own Chieftain, Burke Graff.

Cluthian's quest for alien-tech weaponry leads him to a surprising discovery: a technology that is destined to alter the balance of power in the System. But for Cluthian to carry out his plan, he needs someone capable, and expendable...