Alliance forces fight a desperate battle against the encroaching aliens known only as the Creeps, a race determined to cross the Void into Alliance space. Three thousand light years across, the Void has become a lethal battleground between the opposing navies. Creeps swarm across the emptiness in their thousands, destroying everything in their path, and edging ever closer to the civilizations that the Alliance navy is desperate to protect. A chance discovery leads the patrolling cruiser Bulwark deeper into the Void, where clues regarding the nature of the Creeps await discovery by her team of technical specialists, and the crack incursion team she carries. But will they unearth enough usable information in time to help the hard-pressed Alliance fleet?