Sent to crush space pirates from the inside, he's in his element. Now he faces betrayals beyond imagination with control of hyperspace at stake.

Pavan Khadorov has tired of treachery and death. He's on his final mission for the Galactic Syndicate Security Service, infiltrating space pirates. A loaded drink and misplaced trust land him on a new ship, the Ravager.

Pavan allies with the alluring pirate Dellatrix Devdan to get the trust of her shipmates. But Dellatrix is not all that trustworthy herself, especially when treasure is at stake. And treasure there is-a secret weapon that can control hyperspace. When Pavan and Dellatrix discover the secret is a village of children that can form a collective Mind, they hit a snag. As pirate treasure goes, children are hard to manage, especially on the pirate world of Khonoë with few rules and fewer trustworthy allies.

Pavan falls back on romance to get Dellatrix on his side. When Pavan gets Dellatrix to double-cross the Captain of the Ravager, they face a slow and certain death if their secrets unravel. And Pavan's wife won't help with that.

As crisis engulfs Khonoë, Pavan, Dellatrix, and the kids need a miracle to make it off the planet alive. The Ravager descends into mutiny and chaos. Pavan must use all his black-ops experience to find a path through the maze of deceit and death. He has to discover who is his friend-and who is not.