Commander John Madison intercepts a message about the fate of a nearby star and notifies his superiors. They dispute his findings and are unwilling to do anything without a formal request from the worlds involved.
Unable to sit back and do nothing, John gathers his friends, borrows a ship and sets off to help. He has no real plan in mind, figuring that those who asked for his help have the answers.
The worlds are in the throes of civil war. The legitimate ruler ousted and a military dictatorship in control. John's contact is the rebel leader; a man whose choices for his people seem to be all out war or cosmic destruction.
With a tentative solution at hand and the military on his back, John sets in motion a series of events that will change the course of the galaxy forever – and from which none of them will escape unscathed.