In the second book of The Valkyrie Project, Chief of Operations Neith Varanger leads a rescue team onto the planet where one of her lieutenants escorted a mysterious entity that plagued the Freyja for a short time at the end of Spearing the Serpent. The former corporal turned facilitator rescued from the xenomorph moon, Remy Archambault, has joined the team, with Varanger's reservations. On the planet, they encounter new threats in their search for Lieutenant Kendra Ragnar, a girl of nearly supernatural fighting ability, and one of Varanger's recruits into a specialized program of female Navy officers-the Valkyrie Project.