The Cerritos takes in a Pakled defector suspected of spying, Boimler is courted by the ambitious Red Shirts, and an artifact transforms Tendi.
Freeman tries to negotiate a ceasefire with the Pakleds while a Pakled who has defected to the Cerritos is suspected of being a clumsy spy, and Ransom and Kayshon are left to keep him busy. Boimler is recruited by the Red Shirts, a clique of ambitious junior officers who give him a makeover and urge him to ditch his friends.
When Tendi merges with an artifact and becomes a scorpion-like creature, Boimler makes a fool of himself to make her laugh, which restores her, and he tells the Red Shirts that real leaders look after their crew. Freeman discovers that the Pakleds are planning to attack Earth with a Veruvian bomb.