Lady luck has been good to humankind. But, she can be a fickle mistress. While human successes have been encouraging, great losses are also part of the equation and must be accepted. Contact with the Januki offers hope for more knowledge and technical support, although the friendly aliens are not in a position to provide ships and warriors to fight against the dreaded Saurans. But, humans will soon have the combat numbers to aid the Januki, making them an attractive ally, if the friendly race can just overlook some problems with the way humans are going about their business.

In the meantime, Adm. Wayne Hurst is about to send out the first Task Force to disrupt Sauran efforts in this part of the Galactic Arm. However, his chosen commander has a problem and it must be resolved before they head out from his secret base of operations. Despite all the difficulties, humans continue to make progress in developing their own space navy, albeit at a snail’s pace.