When Marine Lieutenants West, Hawkes, and Vansen are sent to Mars, their mission is simply to fix a broken transmitter, but they discover the beginnings of an alien invasion

Lieutenant Shane Vansen still has nightmares about her parents' deaths at the hands of aliens, but when the past comes back to haunt her in an alien trap, she must remain cool to save the squad

Lieutenant Hawkes, an in-vitro himself, is angered when, after damage is caused to the ship, the human members of the space crew decide to sacrifice the unborn in-vitros in order to save the humans on board, leaving Hawkes to debate whether or not to start a mutiny.When it is decided to sacrifice the unborn in-vitros on board the damaged spaceship in order to save the humans, Lieutenant Hawkes, an in-vitro, must decide whether to start a mutiny

On the planet Tarturus, a new weapon that interferes with human brain waves causes the members of the 58th Squadron to experience intense fear and physical pain, and they must find a way to leave the planet before they go to war with each other.