Adam always had a strong sense of duty, and when he feels obliged to accept command of the Palmetto, the starship's name bothers him almost as much as going into war and being separated from his family. As time passes, he suspects the ship has a personal aversion to him. Systems break down just as he needs to use them and not even internal communications work. To Alexandra, things could hardly get any worse than her husband disappearing, being declared missing in action, and eventually buried. Again. Moving on and looking forward seems like a healthy idea, but it's more difficult than it sounds. Especially since an unknown enemy wants her dead, and will stop at nothing to see it happen. Book 6 in the Embarkment 2577 series