Ayoung corporal, Jake Taggerty, in the elite marine unit, Strike Tigers, is reassigned to a ship investigating strange communications outages. Some of the outlying colonies have been attacked and Jake must find out who is doing it and why. On top of that, an alien presence is also in the system and has asked for the use of the colony planet to breed their hive. Jake soon finds himself defending the aliens from their aggressors and trying to keep the few humans in the system alive as well. If he fails, the fragile treaty will fall and the human race will be at war.