Niko boards an Achaian ship in hopes of negotiating with the enemy, but is met by disturbing visions. Cas and Richard clash over their next move, and Iara goes on her first mission.
While Niko fights to escape from the Achaia, Cas is subjected to their mental manipulation through a vision of her brother. The Salvare is sidelined by an encounter with an interstellar phenomenon, which could provide an opportunity.
When the crew detect a habitable planet, Cas leads a side mission to determine if it could become home to a human colony. Niko learns that another A.I. is buried inside the ship's code.
After rescuing their stranded crew mates the Salvare crew awaken the colonists to begin putting down roots – until a discovery on the planet's surface complicates their plans. Erik gets closer to discovering what the Achaia want from Earth.
As Niko and Richard make their way back to the colony planet, they suspect that something may be on board the ship with them. Back home the Salvare is set to be decommissioned, and the crew is interrogated about their experience in deep space.
Niko and Richard find themselves subjected to brutal experiments at the hands of an unknown alien species. On Earth, Erik and the crew decide that they must attempt to infiltrate the Salvare.
As Erik and Cas board the Salvare, William's creator attempts to hack his encrypted data. Niko and Richard hatch a plot to return home ... by surrendering to the enemy.
An Achaian invasion force arrives in Earth's solar system, along with a new set of demands, and Niko rallies her crew to come up with a plan to rebuff the enemy fleet.
