Major Jean Joyce's estranged brother, Rafe, is a talented hacker and a deserter from the Federation Marines-and the penalty for desertion is death. But the Federation's intelligence agency has other plans for the wayward marine.

The Bureau of Intelligence and Insurgency sends a team led by the major to find her brother and recruit him, offering a full pardon in the bargain. Among them are a devious BII operative named Danner Tomblin; Akemi Murakami, a beautiful and brilliant technician; and naval pilot Captain Mike Estury. The group's orders are to steal ancient technology by hacking into an alien supercomputer, and Rafe, working with the rest of the team, has the necessary skills to do so. But there is something dangerous lurking in the heart of the computer that will threaten not only the lives of the team but those of all life, everywhere.