Back on board the Star Destroyer, the ISB Major Dreflin made a mistake of pushing the stormtrooper too far and ended up killed by his own weapon.

While on the run, their sense of honor and duty led them to seemingly unrelated incidents where they rescued local populace, and subsequently pursued a link to a pirate group named the Bloodscars operating in the Shelsha Sector.

They separated to pursue different leads, the men to investigate pirate attacks on the Rebel supply line, and Leia to a negotiation that the governor of Shelsha sector was going to declare independence and join the Rebellion.

David Maddox on SF Site wrote that "although the pirates and corrupt royalty of the story do seem rather flat, fans will get a smile seeing the classic characters as when they were first introduced 30 years ago".

The sequel to Zahn's 2007 novel Allegiance, it is set between the events of the films Star Wars: A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back and features Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Mara Jade, and the villain Nuso Esva.