Commander Caralee Danforth follows orders to hurry from Star Base 9 to Academy to go aboard the Phoenix Class Battle Star Ceres, host for the Les Mesdemoiselles d'Confederation Beauty Pageant. Next thing she knows, she is watching the pageant from a box with Admiral Noguri Yamamoto. Why the rush to get her to Ceres in time for the pageant? To prepare her to be named Captain of the Wolf Class Star Destroyer Concord, to say nothing of Flag Captain for Commodore Robert Rand, commanding the Red Squadron. The evil Churchmen who had hoped to split the Confederation down the middle by proving the...