"A captain's first duty is to the Confederation..." Confederation Fleet General Order Number One

The destroyer Shigure is the oldest destroyer in the fleet - or so she seems. Equipped with a powerful, new device, the "Late Rain" is chosen for a special, dangerous project. With a young crew and modifications that makes her vessel not what she seems, Commander Leslie Hawkins presses into unknown space to examine structures detected by a Confederation Fleet survey vessel - and discovers that Mankind is not alone.