When the ancient warship Wolf of Fenris emerges from the warp, Imperial forces find it captured by the renegade Red Corsairs. It is not immediately clear that this is not just a pirate takeover. The Corsair leader, Huron Blackheart, and his renegade fleet intend to recapture the Gildar Rift from the Imperium and establish their rule in this sector of the Galaxy. As torpedo salvoes and lance emitters burn contrails into the void, Captain Arrun of the Order of the Silver Skulls tries to stop the invasion, realizing that the fate of the Rift will be decided not in the skies, but on the surface of Gildar Secundus.