As the Evolved hammer away at the Peregrine colonies, Arvada Sattar and Sahan Kotori fight on two fronts. One against the enemy. The second against each other.
 
As he penetrates deeper into the Evolved holobrain, Sahan’s love for Arvada torments him more and more. But Arvada now leads a fleet of rebellious Captains drawn by her daring in combat. Though she values Sahan’s attempts to penetrate an enemy holobrain, she cannot trust him not to be overcome by its dangers.
 
Nor should she. For dodging the Evolved Group Consciousness that can reduce his mind to one eternal scream, Sahan encounters a force he identifies as the “Terror Barrier.” It may conceal a secret vital to finally overcoming the Evolved.
 
But like a black hole, whatever enters the Terror Barrier can never escape.