A terrible ambush in deep space leaves the Republic Space Vessel Lowelana in dire straights. Knowing that they cannot hope to defeat their foes, Ship-Head Uleena, a member of the reptilian species Urakari, orders a blind jump. The ship and her crew barely manage to escape. The jump takes them far from Republic space, in a direction that has yet to be explored. With near-critical damage to their ship and severe casualties there doesn't seem to be any hope of rescue. Then they receive an answer...

Set immediately after the conclusion of The New Threat, the danger posed by the Omni-Union has increased exponentially. If they aren't stopped, the entire Milky Way Galaxy will be destroyed. Thankfully, Ship-Head Uleena's Republic and the United Systems have earned a respite after their previous conflict with the OU. Will this break in the fighting be long enough to come up with a plan to defeat the Omni-Union, once and for all?

Three months after the events of The New Species, Ship-head Uleena has finished his diplomatic training and returns to United System space to make a startling discovery.