Hard. Tough. Alone. Karura Solari was contemplating what to do with his existence when he left off where he had been with Lautu Loman. That existence had a bleak outlook until General Kenning called him in on a rescue operation, to free some slaves rooted to dark operations on Solari ́s home planet of Qinir. In the operation Karura meets a formerly enslaved, fascinating languages professor, Nicole Watson. That begins the end of everything...and possibly an end to the beginning he desires.