Exiled from Liad after bombing a city to save it from The Department of the Interior's infernal weapons and plans, Clan Korval has gone to ground on the back ‚  water planet Surebleak, whose people are as untamed as its weather.

Far beyond the surface of frigid Surebleak, Korval's far-flung trade network needs a serious reset. From flagship ‚  Dutiful Passage ‚  to the experimental self-aware ‚  Bechimo, the clan's ships are prowling space lanes seeking trade. Meanwhile, old tech from a failed universe and the machinations of the mysterious Uncle are coalescing into dangerous opportunity or nefarious trap.

And the Department of the Interior is not done with Clan Korval yet. They seek a final fully reckoned revenge, with Surebleak and Korval's ships and people everywhere in the crosshairs.