John Lay is recruiting a new member for Phoenix crew. In order to educate her, he recounts the story regarding his first mission with The Bureau. It was then that he met with an exceptional group of people, and it was then that he first learned of aliens, and closed door political ties to piracy.
In joining The Bureau, Lay and crew infiltrate the Illuminati's base of operations, witness the destructive properties of alien tech, and uncover the truth about Montrose's involvement in alien pacts.
The mission takes a turn for the worse when the undercover crew is discovered, and worse, pirates start overtaking Apollo.