After Kasey Ellis completed a humiliating mission, she received a promotion and a transfer to an Imperial ship. Her new command only has one other human on it. The adventure hasn't even begun when she faces her first challenge: an Earth-style inspection with the charming and enigmatic Tikud emperor. Does the Emperor want Kasey as much as she wants him? Will she survive her first encounter with the Tikud empire with her rank and her dignity intact?