The tyrannical Alliance continurs its war against the Republic of Cinnabar, and Daniel Leary, newly promoted to Commander, and his crew have a new mission: Stop Dunbar's World from falling to an invasion by the planet Pellegrino. Nataniel Arruns, son of the dictator of Pelligrino, has landed with an army, intending to set himself up as warlord and turn the planet's population into workers--serfs--of their new Pellegrinian masters. Dunbar's World has only its police force to oppose him. Those who rule Cinnabar's so-called ally would rather see Leary fail than succeed in stopping the invasion, and though he again commands the corvette Princess Cecile, on this mission she's no more than a private yacht: her missile tubes are empty. Somehow he must capture an enemy base defended by plasma cannon and shipkilling missiles and supported by a cruiser in orbit. But Leary has the help of Signals Officer Adele Mundy, who can make computer networks do the apparently impossible. Leary, Mundy and the crew of the Princess Cecile have gone up against impossible odds before ... and their opponents are still wondering just what hit them.