The mutiny instigated by the Clone Hegemony has been crushed and Earth's legally constituted government has been restored, but peace in the Confederacy is short-lived. A new alien race has appeared, seeking protection from a fleet of bloodthirsty machines programmed to destroy them. When General Bill Booly discovers that a fanatical human has reprogrammed the killer technology to eliminate all sentient beings, he must unite the Confederacy and every one of its reluctant allies and lead a battle for the future of the universe.