Under threat by a strange enemy, the alien Londu have called on old debts, leading Rear Admiral Henry Wong to bring his new Expeditionary Fleet hundreds of light-years from home to aid them. A hard-fought victory gives his partner, Ambassador Sylvia Todorovich, time to negotiate a new alliance with their old friends. The same victory should give him answers about the strange Enigma alien attacking the Londu—but all they find are lies and more questions. The questions give them one possible source of answers: another old ally, wrapped in mysteries of their own. An old ally no one has heard from since the Enigmas started attacking…