What to even say, beyond, I loved this!

If you have not read book one in this series, go do so before reading further, as there are some mild spoilers for book two coming up.
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Picking up not long after the end of Alliance Rising (book one), authors Cherryh and Fancher set Finity's Rising on course for Pell, with a few members of the Galway on board to learn the systems and boards in advance of the Galway hopefully acquiring a new ship after their return.

Ross is shadowing Finity's navigators, and chief navigator Kate Niehart is noticing Ross' talent; what she does not see immediately is Ross beginning to go the way of some navigators, which is seeing and feeling things from astral objects (stars, etc.) in a spooky, difficult to categorize way.

Jenn is noticing he's a little strange, but is eager to show him and the other Galway crew on board the treats of Pell, such as the botanical garden, and his first tree.

Once there, he's overwhelmed by the noise, the colours, and the sheer number of unusual and bright things. He's jumpy and shying at things he sees, but does calm down once among the plants. All the crew are taken by the three highly prized redwoods at the garden, but their existence, and a seemingly inconsequential item at the gift shop, gets Galway crew thinking about shipping something as delicate as a tricky to grow in space plant, and they begin piecing together a picture through forensic analysis of shipping histories, accounts and the like that points to an Earth Company (EC) presence, and likely specific First/Hinder Stars merchant ships in collaboration with EC, who are bringing in contraband or unique Earth goods, unbeknownst to other First Stars' Families. Finity's captains posit the smugglers are likely based at one of the Hinder Stars' abandoned stations.

JR Niehart is intent on tracking down two ships who still have not signed the Alliance agreement, and figures that they'll find them if they travel through a tricky bit of space to the most likely location. A Cyteen ship, the Little Bear (from book one), agrees to go with them as witness to what they might find, and boy, does Finity's End get a surprise, and experience some horrifying things at its destination. We also meet Signe Mallory's likely origin ship and its Captain, a tough, uncompromising man who cannot abide Cyteen and all it stands for.

Ross continues to go into nav fugues, and sounds more unhinged than ever, though Kate knows this is something that happens to the best navigators, and that he'll likely stabilize as time passes.

A lot happened in this entry, much of it shocking in its implications (yup, we're one step closer to the Company Wars). There are revelations, losses, and a better understanding, at least amongst the Nieharts and their few Galways that underhanded dealings have been going on a long time, and that there are those amongst EC who will not bend to the changes happening out past the First Stars' stations and ships.

The pacing is standard Cherryh: lay out the stakes and the players, and then ratchet the tension up to high and never stop till the end. Though this is a second book, there is no diminishing of pacing or flailing about to fill the time till the third book. Nope. This is claustrophobic, tense, and with wonderful filling out of details that are either not mentioned or merely hinted at in "Downbelow Station". It's made me want to return to that original story to revisit the outcomes of the stealthy and dodgy behaviour we're getting to see as yet another reason things eventually devolved to war.

I already said I loved this. All I can really add is that I really, really, really want book three in my hands already!

Thank you to Netgalley and to DAW for this ARC in exchange for my review.