Dominic Flandry had a great future ahead of him as savior of the civilized universe. In later years his talent for swift action would be unmatched, his reputation fabulous. But here he is at the age of nineteen, fresh out of the Naval Academy, naive ... and smack in the midst of the opening battle of an interstellar war. With no place to turn for help! For what can one innocent young Terran do against the might of the Merseian Empire - particularly when his own planet's armadas are hot on his trail for desertion, high treason, and worse?