An accomplished older woman and her team train the next generation to protect the Local Neighborhood. Together, they must find a way to stop the invading Olmeri.

This is the sixth book in the eight-book series. Beth arrives on Ras 2 to begin training with Sentar. The Ambassador goes back out on the Magellan one more time.

Beth arrives on Ras 2 to begin training. She is immediately confronted with what Sentar's positions as the Master of the House of Tu and Leader of the Council of Nine mean. He is highly visible and well-respected. The Doctor has gone to Vega 3 to help Galen pack his house. Galen is going to stay on Ras 2 with the magical books at the Library at Nareem. He thinks Beth might be able to hold the books. The Ambassador has gone out on the Magellan. She returns with bad news. The Olmeri are advancing. She finally gets approval to retire. She begins saying goodbye. They take Galen for the ride of a lifetime, have lunch, and talk about old times. It's a grand trip. They had gotten permission to move slowly through the Sol system, but they can't stop. The Magellan is too big. Galen and Maru are heartbroken. Kell suggests they park the Magellan near Pluto. He offers to take them to Earth on his cruiser. They go. It's a grand tour.

The stories offer a rare glimpse into the inner world of traditional martial arts training. The Ambassador and her four old friends embody the five elements of Xingyiquan (Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, Earth) grounding the series in the long history and storied traditions of authentic Chinese martial arts. Their colors (White, Black, Green, Red, Gold) reflect their elements, personalities, and special skills (xingyi, taiji, qigong, bagua, sword).

Throughout the stories, the focus is on taking care of each other, what honor, integrity, honesty, and kindness mean, how we pass on what we have learned and bring up the next generations, and all sorts of positive character questions that are fundamental to traditional martial arts.