On long-term leave from the UESF, Fleet Commander John Thompson is drifting through life until an old war buddy-turned-politician swoops in and shatters his carefully constructed illusion of contentment. In fewer than fifteen minutes, John's worries go from avoiding the attentions of a professor with marital baggage to saving the human race - again. Done with ships, and space, and fighting wars, John insists on maintaining his civilian persona for the duration of the mission. However, adjusting to life on board a warship proves more complicated than he imagined. John is horrified to discover he actually enjoys aspects of a journey he thought would be hell. Of course, anything that seems too good to be true always is. A disaster with a quantum generator vaporizes nine crewmembers—including the captain and executive officer. In addition, his secret is blown out an airlock when Diplomatic Officer Rebeccah Santiago gains access to his confidential records. With the mission on the line, John must decide: refuse to take command of the Firestorm and jeopardize the operation by allowing someone unqualified to take over, or take command and go against every vow he made after the war. Oh, and save humanity while he's at it.