Returning from their honeymoon on Earth, Miles and Ekaterin divert to an asteroid-based polity informally known as Quaddiespace (see FALLING FREE), where Miles is sent to defuse a bloody incident between a Barrayaran military fleet and the local police. Waiting on Graf Station are diplomatic snarls, tangled loyalties, old friends, new enemies, racial tensions, lies and deceptions, mysterious disappearances, and a lethal secret with wider consequences than even Miles anticipates: a race with time for life against death in horrifying new forms. Miles' life and the lives of millions will be forfeit, unless Miles can overcome seemingly impossible odds. A Nebula Award finalist.