What's so special about 82 Eridani? Star pilot Jackie Roberts just wants to run a little freight then head home to Tau Ceti. But she owes Ducayne, of Homeworld Security, a favor. He wants her to go to 82 Eridani to pick a mysterious package up from one of his agents. After archeologist Hannibal Carson has a run-in with the ruthless Velkaryans, Ducayne sends him to 82 Eridani to check out the artifact that Roberts is retrieving. Meanwhile, the Velkaryan ship Carcharadon, last seen at Zeta Reticuli, is now also at 82 Eridani, and Ducayne's people think that the Velkaryans throughout T-Space are on the verge of serious political -- and possibly military -- gains. The planet Tanith, orbiting 82 Eridani, is about to become a very small place. The third in the Carson & Roberts T-Space series, after The Chara Talisman and The Reticuli Deception.