Peace in Our Time! After human and Maltaani forces cooperated to rescue the hostages being held by slavers on the icy planet of Menard-Kev, leaders on both sides agreed that peace between the races was desirable. A treaty was signed, and embassies were established. Unrest between the Maltaani royalists, who rule their home planet, and their nationalist subjects—already at a low boil—intensifies with the establishment of the Terran embassy in the Maltaani capital city of Daarben, and, when a report is released stating that humans and Maltaani are of the same genetic stock, things are pushed to the breaking point. In the midst of this unrest, the Galactic Resource Conglomerate is operating in the shadows, completing deals that are sure to only push things further toward catastrophe. With the security situation in the capital worsening, First Lieutenant Abner Fortis, now the executive officer of Lima Company, is ordered to establish a forward operating base at the spaceport near Daarben and stand by to assist the embassy in whatever way they need. But, with things already falling apart, will Lima Company’s presence help keep the peace, or will they cause an international incident that finally pushes everything over the edge?