Plot Summary:Continuing his work on wormhole theory and technology, Crichton has been eking out an existence aboard Elack - an old, dying Leviathan. His quiet existence is shattered when a female alien, Sikozu boards the ship with a squad of Grudek mercenaries intent on harvesting Elack's neural tissue. When Crichton fights to protect his new home, the Grudeks sick a vicious and deadly alien canine called the Brindz Hound after him.