The Vordlak, once the pride of the space program, has been missing for decades, thought lost in the void. But when a salvage team come across it floating in the darkness, and the lost ship's unique drive kicks in, then the problems are only just beginning. Space and time are warped as some of the relics of the original mission develop a strange new life of their own in their storage chamber deep below Mars.
Soon it is a race against time, as a burgeoning plasma starts to feed and grow on Mars, and matters aboard the Vordlak come to a head. Disaster can only be averted by studying the secret history of the ghost ship and the ancient rituals that have provided it with its power. But in repeating that history, will the small band of survivors prevail - or will they only make matters worse as the plasma continues to rampage?