In the farthest reaches of Federation space, Captain Xavier Vance of the USS Valhalla is tasked with a delicate mission: mediating escalating tensions between the Narlins, a minor yet resource-significant race, and their powerful neighbors—the Breen, Ferengi, and Kzinti. Journeying to the farthest reaches of the Federation, he knows the stakes are high. He will soon discover how fragile peace truly is.

Stopping at Terra Alpha, a human colony on the Federation’s frontier, Vance reconnects with its leader, Nick Ryder—a fiercely independent former captain and old Academy friend. The colony has always prided itself on self-sufficiency, but the growing threat of the Breen has shaken the citizens to their core. With Starfleet’s protection theoretical at best, the people of Terra Alpha call for a militia. At the same time, the independence movement from the Federation moves from a fringe ideology to a serious voice within the halls of the colonial government.

Caught between his loyalty to the Federation and an old friend, Vance sits on a powder keg and doesn’t know who carries the match. His choices will shape not only the future of the Narlins but the entire sector—possibly the Federation as a whole.