After being thrown out of the Guild when he fell into Yotov's trap, Van is now isolated and on the run. To make matters worse, a bounty has been placed on him and his crew and all of his known haunts are being watched. Fortunately, they have their stealth ship which allows them to investigate areas before they arrive in the Fafnir. While for much of this book they are on the defensive, trying to evade capture, certain revelations and discoveries allow them to hit back in small ways. They come up with a big plan that involves penetrating the unpenetratable Anvil Dark, which seems impossible until another discovery is made...
Things seem desperate, but events occur that give the Fafnir crew hope of eventually succeeding in overthrowing the corrupted Guild and thoughts turn to what will happen once they are successful.
A grim, but fun, entertaining read that leaves you eager to find out what happens next.