With the invading aliens temporarily driven from Human and NeHaw occupied space, all the races are using the pause to recover and rebuild, both friend and foe alike. For the NeHaw, that means pressuring the Earth to allow them to rebuild and rearm their fleet from the Wawobash shipyards, a risk that could easily backfire. For Jake, the lingering concerns of a lost crew with the un-activated Artificial Life installed in the captured saucer still dominate his thoughts. While he obsesses on that, others look to the origins of the mysterious alien invaders in the universe's unexplored regions. General Jake Thomas must face the fact that he can't be the human recovery leader and an intergalactic explorer at the same time. Therefore, it is now left to others of his inner circle to take up the mantle and charge forth into the unknown while he holds down the fort at home. In the end, it is a surprise to see who rises to the occasion and proof that the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.