Federation starships Ulysses and Zheng He, after nearly a month at warp, arrive at the distant wilderness star system of BD+18 1563 Isonzo. Around the fourth planet in the system- a medium gas giant- is a large Class P moon with a number of city-like ruins in glaciated surface and subterrranean complexes. Ulysses and Zheng He beam down their initial survey teams and set up camp, determined to uncover the secret of the mysterious extinct species known as Yxtoxi.
Meanwhile, the Zheng He detects something metallic in the corona of the Isonzo star and moves in to investigate. The output of BD+18 1563 Isonzo is erratic and interferes with ship's transponders and the Zheng He fails to check in after an hour.