Beyond comprehension, beyond imagination, and beyond the deepest regions of this galaxy . . . life as we know it is about to end! In the farthest reaches of deep space, the medical vessel Nightingale 229 stands watch for anyone in need. When a desperate distress signal cuts through the void, the crew makes a dangerous hyperspace jump—straight into the gravity well of a dying star. Stranded and damaged, they recover a lone survivor and a mysterious alien artifact from a crippled shuttle. As the star begins to implode and a supernova builds, the crew races to uncover the truth behind their mysterious passenger and the object he carries—before the explosion consumes them and everything in its path.