Synopsis: After leaving the USS Anderson behind in the Alpha Centauri system, The USS Heinlein returns to Earth, hoping to refit, refuel, and return within weeks to pick up the Anderson's crew. Things don't work out that way. Commodore Drake faces a court-martial for the apparent loss of not just the Anderson, but also the Krechet and the Chinese ship, Xing Hua. The Chinese, meanwhile, have secretly reverse-engineered the Xing Hua and sent their own expedition to Epsilon Eridani, little realizing what awaits them. The biological samples the Heinlein has brought back turn out to contain a potential pharmaceutical bonanza.