Captain Jack Sutton and the crew of the starship Peggy Sue have returned to Earth following a close escape from a hostile alien space station in the Beta Comae Berenices system. Their warnings about coming interstellar war go unheeded and several members of the crew are incarcerated. The missing crew is soon rescued, TK Parker and friends help establish a base on the farside of the Moon, and the Peggy Sue once again sails forth into the Galaxy-this time hunting for answers and possible allies. Relationships deepen and bonds between crewmembers grow stronger as the intrepid band of explorers face a future that they did not ask for. New species are encountered, several of them hostile. Indeed, the mysterious T'aafhal are finally be revealed-raising even more questions about the ancient war between warm life and the Dark Lords, setting the scene for the Earth shattering climax and book three.