Synopsis: The cloudship Siduri's Net had dared the impossible and won, harvesting a fortune in tritium as well as finding a new form of superheavy particles which could prove to be the ultimate fuel - if the shipboard scientists could learn to control it. But what should have been a triumphant return to their home port for Sailmaster Pov and the rest of the crew quickly escalated into a dangerous confrontation. For Net's mother ship, Siduri's Dance, had done the unthinkable in exchange for its own survival. And now Rom, Slav, and Greek each must choose between virtual enslavement and a perilous flight to the unknowns of the Pleiades. (adapted from the back cover of the first edition)