The Empire has decided it’s time to locate the hidden Resistance base(s) and stop this uprising before it can go any further. Gen Atalis, on the other hand, believes it’s time for his forces, led by the Leviathan, to start attacking the Empire fleets and prevent their search efforts.
After getting permission from the Earth Space Agency to join the fight as General Atalis wants, a small fleet of Empire ships are closing in on an area that Captain Miller has decided that they need to protect. The Empire’s fleet is commanded by a dedicated, but arrogant Commander who thinks his ships and tactics are much better than any rebels he might encounter. While he lays a trap for the Leviathan, Captain Miller in discussions with his Gallan counterparts of his flotilla, figure out a way to avoid the trap. The eventual coarse of action taken by the Resistance fleet is to use one of their severely damaged destroyers to ram the Imperial battleship and thereby causing it’s Captain to surrender. As usual, plans don’t always work out the way you want or expected.
On another front, one of the Leviathan’s pilots, Donna Kendrick, that was shot down over the secret planet, has been captured by Prin Garinta. While she has attempted to interrogate Donna, she hasn’t gotten much and nothing to indicate where the Resistance HQ might be. Then Prin
founds out her mission is cancelled and she’s being recalled back to the Imperial Palace. This is a strange order coming after she had accidentally stumbled into something called the Consul. She figures someone believes she knows to much and her recall is just a means of getting her and her crew back into the hands of the Intelligence Directorate for speedy executions. After talking with Donna, Prin decides that she would be better off with the Resistance than the Empire, but still, Donna refuses to trust her.
Back on Earth, the investigation is still going on to find out who is leading Phoenix Rising. They are searching for members or prior members of the terrorist group in order to dig up some possible information on the leader. Meanwhile, the leader organizes another attack on a remote military training base. He knows they are stockpiling lots of weapons and ammo on-site. After recon finds the base very lacks in their security, he sets his plan in motion to take the base, kill all the in-training soldiers, and then haul off as much of the supplies as he can.
And then the most stupidest part of the story begins. General Atalis and Queen Avania have arranged a meeting with a representative of the Border Dukes. They will take with them a lot of information about what they Empire has been doing and still doing to it’s citizens. The believe the Border Dukes will eventually get mis-treated by the Empire once the rebellion is settled. They need the Border Dukes to side with the Rebellion and that would almost assure the overthrown of the exiting Empire. So, they go to this meeting on an abandon space station, following instructions to come unarmed without a fleet escort. Of course, the Border Dukes have a battleship waiting at the space station and as soon as Queen Avania and General Atalis step off their suttle, they’re handcuffed and taken prisoner. It looks like the Border Dukes have shown which side they are on, or is this just the work of some opportunist?
As you can see, several things are going on that could have serious repercussions on this whole Earth protection the Leviathan thing is trying to build. If the Leviathan is destroyed in one of these coming battles, that could me the end to the Resistance. Another book has to becoming because not much was resolved in this one.