Emma Tiffany is not having a good time these days. Her mother is a famed law enforcement officer in the new Interstellar Alliance of Independent Worlds. Emma would like NOT to follow in her mother's footsteps. Then she comes to the rescue of a woman she met in a bar. She's "rewarded" with a posting to the Alliance Space Patrol. She's given command of a ship, the duty to protect the Alliance, and all the aggravations that come with command and duty. She has to deal with criminals, a conspiracy, and all-out war. Will there be a better reward at the end of Emma's service to the Alliance? Emma is hoping there will be, and something a little more valuable than a gold watch...