Terrorists are creating a climate of fear on the planet Arrosa, and although no demands have been made, nor claims of credit taken for the attacks, the Prime Minister believes that the government of their neighboring planet, Selax, is solely responsible. As commander of the only Space Command base in that part of space, Captain Jenetta Carver is responsible for maintaining the peace, and the task of preventing a system-wide war falls squarely upon her shoulders. Since the dispatched diplomatic corps hasn't yet arrived at the base, she must resolve the disputes without their assistance. The people of the two planets share a common genus and ancestry, and Captain Carver manages to convince the two planetary governments to accept binding arbitration, but one party ingeniously stalls the talks for their own purposes.