When a scientific team exploring an obscure planet fails to make itsregular communications check, the Marines of the third platoon are sentto investigate. They prepare for a routine rescue operation, but whatthey find on Society 437 is a horror beyond description.
Only a handful of ragtag pirates who were in the wrong place at the very worst time have survived, and there is little trace of the scientists.
What happened to the scientists? Why have the pirates been spared?Gunnery Sergeant Bass and the men of the third platoon are about to findout, and the answer carries a terrifying implication for the Marines -- and the entire human race.
