Star Patrol cadet Broderick Noven has been captured and is about to stand trial after being cured. In order to delay the inevitable, the symbiont keeps him in deep sleep, delaying his awakening and discharge from the medical center. There he is visited by ghosts of the past, who paint pictures about him and reveal his true essence no worse than future accusers. However, there is still hope for a lenient sentence in the person of Newta Nuba, who believes in success, unlike the one who himself has already lost hope for a favorable outcome. Meanwhile, somewhere on Alkhon, dramatic events are unfolding around a couple of local criminals who suddenly became fabulously rich.