When officer Alan Dathan awakens transformed into the very girl he once rescued, the crew of the SS Scavenger uncovers a galaxy-wide epidemic threatening thousands with permanent change. Ordered to find patient zero, Captain Elan Drex leads his ship from salvage yards to ancient ruins, from desperate colonies to the hospital hub at Barnard's Star-while hostile Tonans close in, some afflicted themselves. With time running out, Kessa Rin's pregnancy yields antibodies that may hold the key, but the cure demands sacrifice, ingenuity, and courage. Racing across the stars with hope in their fragile holds, the crew must endure the unthinkable. Because some shadows can be fought with weapons-but others must be faced together.