Boy, has Greg Hamilton, Earthman come a long, long way since he first saw aliens dogfighting over Earth. His rescue of one of them from a burning crashed spaceship was the start of an impossible journey. After having met with and lived with the An’Atee, he’s convinced that they need to be saved, from themselves, if nothing else. Having just been appointed the Chairman of the Alliance, Greg develops a plan that starts with Earth.
Knowing that most An’Atees cannot “pull the trigger” or kill another being even in a space battle, puts any forces he has at his disposal at a distinct disadvantage. It’s so bad that the Harbok consider the An’Atee so far beneath them that they won’t even talk with the An’Atee. Some how Greg must get the attention of the Harbok. He plans on doing that by bringing Earthmen into the picture as the fighters that will “pull the trigger” and kill the Oort!
Yes, the Oort is the name of the vile creatures that have taken over a vast number of Harbok colonies. They are parasitic in nature attaching themselves to the backs of their host and then totally controlling the being within. The Harbok have for 2,000 years been single-handedly fighting the Oort, but the outcome is just a precarious stalemate. Something must happen to give the Harbok they edge they need to defeat the Oort. They certainly don’t believe an edge could in any way come from the An’Atee or this Earthman of which they know nothing.
So, Greg heads back to Earth to contact some of his former military commanders. He doesn’t care if they are active duty or how old they are since the An’Atee can fix the age problem. But, he’ll need the President of the United States’ cooperation in order to quietly spirit away a thousand old warriors. He also goes to see Nancy, his sister and Jim, her husband. That was an unexpected visit. As you know, Nancy and Jim were missing for quite some time and Greg figured they had been captured by the Harbok. Now released and home, he wanted to see how they were doing and let them know he was alive and doing very well. What he didn’t expect to see during the visit was their house guest, a Harbok!
Maybe this is the opportunity Greg needs to establish some kind of contact with the Harbok. Greg turns out to be a very persuasive man. Will the Alliance that Greg is pushing for ever materialize? He wants Earth to speak with one voice, but that could take centuries and the Harbok are really skeptical that the An’Atee or the technologically inferior Earthmen can make a difference. It is an exciting and a well written account of a pretty good story. While it seems to end with this book, I wish it could go on, it’s that good of a story.