Luko rescues Traya, a young girl who happens to be Captain Knapp's daughter, from an Orion Syndicate slave planet, but come under attack from a squadron of Grey attack fighters. Excelsior manages to fend of an attack, but suffers damage that makes them unable to jump to warp. Soon, they are easy pickings for another Grey attack, which leaves the ship disabled and the crew, scattered throughout, attempting to avert a series of calamities long enough to restore power before a Grey battleship can move in for the kill.