A whole planet’s population is missing—and it’s up to Captain Freeman, Tendi, Boimler, Mariner, Rutherford, and crew to recover them while fending off the alien invaders who wish them deader than dead.

It’s time for a long-overdue second contact with the species with whom the U.S.S. Cerritos made its first first contact: the Laapeerians. But when the crew arrives on Laapeeria bearing gifts, Freeman and company are shocked to discover the entire planet has been abandoned! While all the dwellings and infrastructure remain, there isn’t a soul to be found… Where have all the Laapeerians gone? And do the Laapoonians on the planet next door know anything about it?