One captain’s death might turn out to be humanity’s best chance at survival. As humanity expands into the stars, it discovers the universe is a hostile place. When Captain Slater of the USS Franklin is assigned to a deep-space reconnaissance mission, his ship is destroyed by an unknown alien race.

As humanity expands into the stars, it discovers the universe is a hostile place. When Captain Slater of the USS Franklin is assigned to a deep-space reconnaissance mission, his ship is destroyed by an unknown alien race. Much to his surprise, Slater isn’t killed - he’s transformed. He is now a “derelict” - a consciousness bound to his old vessel.

Adrift in an unknown sector of space, Slater and the crew of the Franklin are cut off from friendly support and surrounded by enemies on all sides. The mysterious council means to destroy him, but a derelict core is a deadly opponent, and Captain Slater will stop at nothing to get his crew home safely. It’s time for Slater to go on the offensive. It’s time to take the fight to the enemy. It’s time to counterattack!

Through Commodore Slater’s efforts, humanity’s war with the council is over. He gave Earth the tools it needed for victory, but at a great cost to himself. The Franklin was destroyed, and his core is slowly dying. Discovered by those who seek to use him for profit, Slater is taken to Sarton Station. His captors intend to use him for their own amusements, but they have made a deadly mistake. They have placed a derelict core right where he wants to be, in a station surrounded by all the salvage and biomass he needs to recover his mind and rebuild the Franklin.