Captain Rieka Degahv of the Commonwealth space fleet successfully defended herself against charges of treason and saved the Commonwealth from Procyon invasion. Now she is chosen to speak on behalf of her planet as Earth's Herald. Damaged generations ago by a meteorite, Earth has long been a second-class citizen in the Commonwealth, living on the charity of other worlds. Finally Earth is ready to support itself, but some alien races do not want humanity to upset the delicate political balance....