Retief, a sardonic Corps officer with a talent for surviving bureaucracy by outthinking it, is handed a mission that could ignite a war. Summoned by Councillor Magnan, he is briefed on the Soetti threat to the obscure Jorgensen's Worlds and given a top-secret package of intelligence, a defense plan, and a dangerous anti-acceleration weapon he must memorize and carry under cover. The assignment is urgent, politically charged, and built on official half-measures, but Retief heads out with dry confidence and a refusal to be intimidated. His journey quickly turns into a battle against corruption, thuggery, and incompetence aboard a commercial ship. At the Aldo Cerise terminal he brushes aside petty obstruction, then claims his cabin from the entourage of the powerful Mr. Tony. When the captain and hired muscle try to evict him, Retief stands on interplanetary shipping law and his own nerve. Aided by Chip, the sharp-tongued cook, he exposes the crew's crooked dealings, confronts a weak alien boarder, and forces the captain to keep course for Jorgensen's Worlds. As the ship veers toward disaster, Retief and Chip must improvise a desperate escape by lifeboat, with Retief's calm violence and Chip's unexpected ingenuity keeping them alive. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.