 To prove its worth, Donnan bargains for a Vorlak ship which they will use on a
stealth raid on a Kandemirian outpost.The raid is a disaster, and they are captured by Kandemirians.Interrogated by the head of the Kandemirian forces, Tarkamat, Donnan is told that if he refuses to re-create the technology for Kandemir, his crew will die horribly, one by one.