In a grim future, Samuel Hyst has endured his life as a factory laborer, on the polluted planet of Baen 6. But when his wife reveals that she's pregnant, Samuel and his best friend, Ben Takeda, join the hazardous life of a salvage marine, the foot soldiers of a militarized deep space operation.

After barely surviving their first encounter, the marines find themselves upon the battlefield once again, this time in the dark confines of an abandoned mining colony, hunted by hideous creatures that emerge from the tunnels.

Samuel Hyst and the Tango Platoon have gone up against everything from space pirates and hideous mutants to the heavily armed elite troopers of Helion Corporation. However, nothing has prepared them for the horrors that await them in the darkness of the subterranean underworld of Vorhold.

Samuel's return home is brief, as he must accept a dangerous assignment so that he can pay off his mounting medical bills and get his family back on track. Samuel and Tango Platoon find themselves crossing into unknown parts of space and launching a massive land invasion of an uncharted planet.

Economic competition between companies has escalated into full scale galactic conflict, and the salvage marines are at the center of the catastrophe. Samuel finds himself capturing vhostages that can be ransomed back to rival companies.

Tension is high at the military compound, and after the death of a union leader, the marines end up facing off against the hereditary warriors of the corporate elite. Now that they have forced a dialogue, Samuel and the other squad leaders negotiate the option for freedom for those who serve as salvage marines.