Commander Michele is dead, and the fragile balance of the base on OC-1320 is shattered. The Science Division and the First Fighters turn on each other, while Izaak, once a commander, now a man content to fade into the background, is reluctantly forced to take charge of the base. Distrusted by the scientists, about to be abandoned by his second-in-command Tarn, and confronted by Inspector Vincent Hawthorn, whom he was sent to investigate, Izaak is dragged back into conflicts he thought he'd left behind.
Vincent hasn't changed. He is overly dramatic and petty and prone to fits of jealousy. He is also arrogant, brilliant, and impossible to ignore, he forces Izaak to face not only the fractured base but also the truths he's buried about himself. Their shared past still lingers, full of old wounds and unfinished business, and now Vincent is the one man Izaak can't avoid.
Beyond the fence lies the Nullands and the Divide, where dangers come in alien forms. But inside the base, the battles are all too human. To survive, Izaak must decide what kind of leader he wants to be, and whether he can trust Vincent again, even if it means breaking everything he once believed in.
