The Terran Republic is in a state of brutal war. The discovery of the Zalu nanite superweapon, a weapon that is able to clandestinely acclimate entire civilizations into subjugation and slavery, has sent shockwaves of panic across the galaxy. In an act of desperation, Terran Command has ordered the crew of the Calyster to contact a sect of Eranians who have long since been expelled from Eranian Union space. This Eranian sect is brutal, with beliefs that the Eranians have eradicated centuries ago. But in war, sometimes the wolf that everyone fears very quickly becomes your best friend. Can the Calyster find a potential friend in this ferocious Eranian wolf as the Zalu continue their relentless march towards Earth? Or does this wolf pose more of a danger to the republic than even the Zalu?