Failure to protect Earth is facing Nathan Stewart and his friends aboard the battlecruiser STAR GLORY. His captain's effort to divert the deadly fleet led by Smooth Fur of the Empire of Eternity is not working. Despite the destruction of an Empire shipyard, Fur returns to Kepler 37 and begins a steady advance up Orion Arm, on the lookout for radio, maser and neutrino signals from Earth's colonies and Earth itself. Since Earth lies just 215 light years uparm from Kepler 37, Nate knows Earth will soon be found. And Fur has two extra fleets for a total of 65 Empire starbiters. When Fur finds Earth, humanity's newly built battlecruisers will not be enough to stop Fur from killing all life on Earth. Nathan's fiance Evelyn comes up with a plan. His captain supports it. But will it be enough to divert Smooth Fur from her sworn duty to find and extinguish all life on any resistor planet? Nathan sets out to make sure the plan will be deadly enough to convince Smooth Fur to never, ever again mess with humans!