The space station Alexandria IV is a dangerous posting — a nexus of competing interests, where mercenary alien factions collide with corporations that want total control of the resources in play. You are the commander responsible for keeping it together. When an ancient secret is uncovered in the Groombridge 34 star system, the political pressure on Alexandria IV intensifies dramatically. The factions surrounding you will fracture if the situation is handled badly. Strategy and diplomacy, applied carefully and simultaneously, are what stand between the station and a conflict that nobody can contain.