Adapted to life on Arkonus and pursuing her studies at the University of Granilest, Rebecca "Becky" Miller is unexpectedly appointed Mission Leader for a crucial diplomatic expedition to Earth. Supported by her fianc , Rileean Security Officer Antel Ralnar, Becky must demonstrate that Earth is worth peaceful first contact.
But Earth is no longer oblivious. Guided by former Air Force Captain and Becky's obsessive ex, Neil Morris, a secret military initiative called Project Watchdog at Lockheed Martin has been analyzing off-world artifacts salvaged from last year's farmhouse disaster. When an approaching Rileean fleet enters the solar system, and communications are mysteriously jammed, miscalculations on both sides bring Terran defense networks and Imperial forces to the brink of open conflict.
Caught between military hardliners, independent Council evaluators, and a paranoid American defense program, Becky and Antel must navigate a web of suspicion to prevent a tragic first-contact catastrophe before time runs out.