Cal, Letty, Tony, Opi, and Sasha were thrust together when they were kidnapped by the Molethian civilization and forced to become a fighter crew to battle against The Horde-the most vicious, predatory enemy in all the Milky Way galaxy. At first, only Letty could get along with the rest of them, and they basically hated each other. However, due largely to Letty's efforts, they became not only the top fighting crew in the Shadow Warriors, but also a close family that love and support each other. Due to Opi's amazing strategic thinking, Letty's organizational skills, Sasha's unparalleled ability as a weapons officer, Tony's crack talent as a navigator, and Cal's icy nerve as a battle leader, they found a way to defeat a hundred-thousand-ship invasion force.

But wait: since Molethians don't fight their own battles, the High Command, back on Molethan, put no credence in the story of two thousand Molethian fighters destroying a force fifty times their size. A bungling investigating committee wrongly put the enemy total at two thousand, and since the commanding officer, Commander T'Kell, lost one thousand fighters, she has been returned to Molethan and put on trial for incompetence.

Cal, Letty, Opi, Sasha, and Tony are called to testify in their commander's defense. Can they save her career? They'll need to do it quickly, as The Horde has sent out a new invasion of forty thousand new-style fighters, and they are nearly impregnable. If our heroes can't save their commander, Molethan will almost surely lose the next battle, and their civilization will be destroyed. But even with Commander T'Kell back in command, can Opi and her crew find a way to pull off a miracle again? As they are frantically working to find a route to victory, the High Command is threatening to take over battle plans, which means the top navy commanders on Molethan may snatch defeat from the jaws of victory!