A mother's love is invincible. Make that mother a veteran commando, and one has a formidable opponent, nothing can stand in her way. Now without command or home planet, Maja, former colonel in the Laman Confederation, hires on as a mercenary in the outback Ortiz System in the hopes of finding her lost child. Separated during a gruesome civil war, Maja intends to use her talents as a star fighter and frontier navigator to penetrate an ice fortress where her daughter is believed held captive. No easy task. Ortiz has been seized by the rapacious Vacjiis, who are bent on draining the resources of the planet as quickly as possible. To this design they have brought in scores of mercenaries and outlaws to help in their campaign of ruthless exploitation. Maja, a highly decorated professional soldier, is forced to momentarily ally herself with this scum in order to get closer to Lord Vaxa, the Vacjiin viceroy who controls Ortiz. Vaxa can help her get to her daughter, while Maja in turn can help Vaxa get hold of special, priceless stones that will help finance his plans for future conquest. The trade-off is a risky one from the start; Vaxa holds the better cards and, like all Vacjiis, is noted for his cunning and deception. Forever the warrior and risk-taker, her daughter's rescue paramount, Maja must accept the odds.