Ensign Andrew Dahl has just been assigned to theUniversal Union Capital Ship "Intrepid," flagship of theUniversal Union since the year 2456. It's a prestige posting, and Andrew is thrilled all the more to be assigned to theship's Xenobiology laboratory.

Life couldn't be better...until Andrew begins to pick up on thefact that (1) every Away Mission involves some kind of lethalconfrontation with alien forces, (2) the ship's captain, its chiefscience officer, and the handsome Lieutenant Kerensky alwayssurvive these confrontations, and (3) at least one low-ranked crew member is, sadly, always killed.

Not surprisingly, a great deal of energy belowdecks is expendedon avoiding, at all costs, being assigned to an Away Mission.Then Andrew stumbles on information that completelytransforms his and his colleagues' understanding of what thestarship "Intrepid "really is...and offers them a crazy, high-riskchance to save their own lives.