Officer Noelle DeRicci is investigating a murder in the domed colony of Armstrong on the Moon. The victim was one of the Disappeared--outlaws in hiding who are wanted for crimes against alien civilizations--whose family had her brought home, believing she was no longer in danger. Retrieval Artist Miles Flint is responsible for putting the dead woman in harms way. He may be the only one with the information needed to solve the case. Now, with DeRicci pressing him for answers he's not ready to give, he must relive the events that led up to his client's death, including her role in a war between humans and a mysterious alien race. And that ongoing war continues to escalate--and threatens to consume the entire solar system ...