Dylan, Beka, and Tyr are on the Maru, en route to the commissioning of the "Crimson Sunrise", the first new Commonwealth ship. Dylan wishes that they could have arrived on the Andromeda, but some recent modifications to the waste management systems by Harper have made that impractical.

Beka calls Dylan and Tyr to the cockpit. She has detected a squadron of Kenja Pride (Nietzschean) fighters heading towards the Crimson Sunrise. Dylan states that they must get a warning to the Ship as quickly as possible, without attracting attention. Tyr is concerned – he knows that Nietzscheans, and Kenja Pride specifically, do not pick a fight unless they are sure they can win. This leads them to the conclusion that they must have someone on the inside.

Beka takes them into slipstream, and they arrive at the Crimson Sunrise.

Dylan informs Captain Grissum of their concerns, but the Captain insists that all of his crew are loyal. While they are talking, alarms sound on the ship. The engines are overloading. Grissum sounds the "abandon ship", and the ship explodes.

A large number of escape pods did manage to get away from the ship, and Beka starts to scan the communications channels. She makes contact with a Senator in one of the pods, who claims that the pod is leaking. A scan reveals that the pods were not coated with fullerene mesh (a precaution which was taken for granted in Dylan's time). They begin to collect pods, docking the one containing the Senator to the Maru's airlock. The Senator is quick to blame the Nietzscheans for the destruction of the ship.

After analyzing the leaks, Beka indicates that she thinks that they have approximately three hours to save the people in them, but the Maru is not big enough for everyone. Dylan insists that they must save the ones they can. They continue to collect the pods, linking them to the airlock in long chains, and collecting others in the cargo pod.

As they are dealing with the refugees, Beka brings Dylan some bad news: If they attach too many pods to the Maru, they will not be able to slipstream, and the additional people on board are straining the Maru's life support systems. She worries that they may have to leave some people behind.

Tyr has analyzed records of the destruction of the Crimson Sunrise, and determined that the explosion started in AP storage. He suspects sabotage. Dylan's suspicion falls on the Kenja Pride, but he knows that they would not sacrifice themselves. Therefore, they must assume that the saboteur is either already on the Maru, or in one of the pods, hailing the Kenja fighters.

The Senator tries to order Dylan to leave the area, but he refuses. Dylan and Tyr are clearly frustrated by the Senator's attitude.

Beka calls Dylan and Tyr to the engine room – a fight has broken out between a human crewman, Burke, and a Nietzschean, Genghis. Burke accuses the Nietzscheans of sabotaging the ship, as part of a new rebellion, while Genghis accuses the humans of doing it to frame the Nietzscheans.

Tyr restores order by calling the crewmen to attention. He takes Genghis to one side, while Dylan speaks to Burke. Each accuse the other. Dylan orders them to keep the peace, and relieves them of their weapons.

As Tyr is explaining to Dylan that he has determined that the explosion started in a restricted area, a hail comes in from a nearby pod cluster. In the pod is Errin Shohashi, the Crimson Sunrise's First Officer. A pod in their cluster is leaking protons, and is about to explode.

The Maru flies to rescue Errin, and when she comes on board, they discover that she is a Nietzschean. She is also very beautiful, and Dylan and Tyr are both clearly attracted to her.

Dylan explains to Errin that they suspect sabotage, but she insists that the destruction of the ship was caused by human error.

Beka detects an escape pod in the cargo bay that has had its self-destruct device activated. Errin claims to have memorized the control codes for all of the pods, so she volunteers to check it out. Tyr joins her.

Beka tells Dylan that she suspects that Errin may be the saboteur. Dylan insists that he has checked her service record, and she is "clean". Beka reminds him of his past experience with Nietzschean first officers – Rhade. She suspects that Dylan is blinded by his attraction to Errin. She asks him if he knows which Pride she is from. He does not, but asks Genghis, who tells him she is Kenja Pride. Dylan rushes to the cargo bay, to warn Tyr.

Errin and Tyr get to the last pod, and Errin starts to deactivate the self-destruct mechanism. With time running out, she suddenly grabs a live wire, diverting the detonation charge and preventing the explosion.

Dylan arrives, and tells Tyr that Errin is Kenja. He responds that he knows, but notes that she risked her own life to save them, and concludes that she is not the saboteur.

Beka is still suspicious of Errin, insisting that, as a Nietzschean, Errin's first loyalty will be to her Pride. Beka detects a communication being sent to the Kenja fighters, and rushes to warn Dylan.

Dylan and Errin are in the cockpit. Dylan is attempting to determine the best slip point for them to use to leave the system, but Errin makes the calculations in her head. Dylan is impressed. One thing leads to another, and they start to kiss, when Beka bursts in. She accuses Errin of leading them into an ambush, but Dylan explains that Errin has misdirected the Kenja fighters by sending them the wrong codes.

Another fight breaks out among the crew, instigated by Burke and Genghis. The Senator tries to issue orders, but Errin insists that she is not a Senator. Errin helps Dylan and Tyr forcibly restore order, but Genghis runs for the escape pods, claiming he'll be safer there. Dylan and Tyr follow in another escape pod, but as the pods leave the Maru cargo bay, Genghis' pod explodes, and the force of the explosion sends Dylan and Tyr's pod spinning out of control.

The explosion also attracts the attention of the Kenja fighters.

Dylan, in the pod, tries to hail the Maru, but Errin jams the communications, claiming that radio silence is necessary to keep the Kenja from targeting Dylan's pod.

As the Kenja fighters move in on the Maru, Errin activates the distress beacon. Beka objects, but Errin insists that they need to make the Kenja think they are crippled, to lure them in. Errin speaks with the Kenja pilots, identifying herself, and recommends an attack pattern. The fighters move to attack, and Dylan and Tyr see the Maru explode.

Empty pods collide with and destroy two of the Kenja fighters, and the others disengage. Dylan and Tyr look on, shocked, when the Maru comes into view. The explosion was initiated from the Maru to discharges the pods – Beka's plan, and Errin is impressed.

Beka notes that they are low on fuel, and she cannot locate Dylan and Tyr's pod. Dylan and Tyr's communications are out. Beka states that she is willing to risk everything to try to save them, but Errin thinks the risk is too great. Beka pulls a gun, and insists.

Dylan and Tyr seem to be out of ideas, but Dylan comes up with a plan. He uses the AP reserves to initiate a fusion candle, giving them some thrust in the general direction of the Maru, and also making them more visible to the Maru's sensors. This works, and Beka picks up the pod. Errin is, once again, impressed with Beka.

Andromeda arrives, responding to a previously-sent mayday.

The "Senator" has been arrested – she was a cleaner, and claimed to be a senator in order to get herself a spot on the life pod.

Under analysis, the Commonwealth determines that the Crimson Sunrise was, in fact, destroyed, at long odds, by a stray comet. There was no saboteur.

As Dylan and Errin say goodbye, she winks at him. Beka teases him about the obvious attraction.