Coney, Eryc, Pandita, and Angel Rei return to Earth amid a media circus. In the aftermath of the flooding of the Ghost Sector of New Bombay, the world debates over what to do with the survivors - no one wants them. With the Black Star Drive vessel completed and tensions over its launch running high, the mysterious Wraith initiates a series of terrorist attacks designed to kill the would-be astronauts and destroy their ship!