Mike Hurst could care less about the petty squabbling that had existed for several millennia on Earth. If humans didn’t get their act together, there would be no people left to benefit from conquering another nation. Unfortunately, too many nations didn’t see it that way. With the prospects of improved health, extended life and new powerful weapons, any country could become the dominant force on the planet, if they gained control of these new abilities. That’s why Mike had implemented strict guidelines for joining the Free Earth Alliance.

If a country wanted access to these marvelous items, they had to agree to support the Terran Space Navy. Initially, no country wanted to acknowledge the TSN as a sovereign entity and Mike understood that. When they raised hell about it, he accepted their reluctance to go along with his plans for the defense of the solar system, although he never backed down from his stance, regarding TSN independence.

His love for Physicist Bet Fulwiler, who was one of the kidnapped victims, dominated his thoughts and prevented him from focusing on other important events. He badly wanted to be on the rescue team, but there was no way for him to return to Earth, in time to join them. The rescue would be handled by Commander Frank Vollmar, the man who was now the head of a fast reaction team on Earth.

In spite of interference on a number of fronts, TSN progress was being made. The men and women he had recruited were sharp and loyal to the him and they understood the reason behind his insistence on avoiding involvement in Earth’s political turmoil. If only it was that easy. In order to make additional headway, some TSN intrusion was essential, although he hated it. He saw the necessity for pushing events in a direction that would strengthen the TSN and make it a strong progressive force in outer space.

That’s why Frank Vollmar’s team was such an important ingredient for the TSN. They would be the hammer for the TSN. When someone threatened any element of the mission to defend the planet, Vollmar’s men went into action.

Ever present in Mike’s thoughts, was his concern about the arrival of another alien ship. They knew approximately when it would arrive and he intended to capture it and learn more about his enemy in the process. There was little doubt that there would be casualties.