Three days later, Hotrenor-Taak comes to see the Terrans and takes them to a room where they will be given a training about the Hetos of the Seven. Hotrenor-Taak reaffirms his will to see a lasting peace established in the Milky Way, even if this means confronting the Arkonids, Akonids, Blues, and all the other people of the Galaxy, who will surely object to being submitted to a dictatorship. Rhodan then asks what the Larens are expecting from him in return.

Hotrenor-Taak explains that the command of the whole Solar Fleet must be given to the Larens. They will use it for the pacification of the Milky Way first. Later, when things have settled, the Fleet will be incorporated in the military forces of the Seven Galaxies. Rhodan says that it means giving up democracy, infuriating Hotrenor-Taak, for whom this concept is meaningless. Rhodan still does not understand why the Larens named him First Hetran when they could use ther technological superiority to conquer the Milky Way and have him, Hotrenor-Taak, nominated First Hetran. Hotrenor-Taak says that this would go against their mentality.

Rhodan says that he suspects a greater chaos would ensue in the Milky Way if someone other than him was nominated First Hetran, and that the Larens would have difficulties dealing with it, even with their technological superiority. Hotrenor-Taak is forced to agree, and then ends the discussion, drawing the attention of the Terrans to the monitors that are in front of them, where a global overview of the Hetos of the Seven will be given. When Rhodan asks if this briefing will include armament, Hotrenor-Taak does not answer.

The screens then show how the Larens are able to manipulate energy and turn it into solid matter, but reveal nothing on the inner workings of the technology, leaving the Terranian scientists wanting for more. Hotrenor-Taak then concludes saying that when the other members of the Council arrive on Hetossa, he will have to report to them, and he hopes that Rhodan will have given his answer by then. Just before they are brought back to their apartments, Gucky manages to read into the Laren's mind and sees that actually, Hotrenor-Taak intends to destroy their corvette so that they are left helpless on Hetossa. Rhodan then decides to act.

A teleporter is sent into the corvette in order to save as much as possible, while Tschubai and Gucky teleport into the mountains and start to dig a shelter for the Terrans. Meanwhile, the MC-8 is being taken out of Hotrenor-Taak's ship to be placed on orbit. It explodes shortly after. Unfortunately, Icho Tolot is spotted by an SVE glider outside the cave. Lord Zwiebus and Toronar Kasom open fire on the glider and destroy it, showing that Terranian weapons can be effective against Laren technology.

Asked about the explosion of the MC-8, Hotrenor-Taak explains that a mishap occurred while moving it. He offers an SVE glider in compensation for the loss of the corvette and then tells Rhodan he will come to visit them shortly for an important matter. Felmer Lloyd informs Rhodan that the Laren's concern is about the mutants, and not the destruction of the glider in the mountain. Rhodan is stunned to learn that Hotrenor-Taak is informed of the capacities of the mutants, and fearing that the Laren might switch to a more aggressive behavior, he orders all of them to teleport in various places on Hetossa.

After scattering the team away, Rhodan and the few remaining members of the expedition eventually make contact with Roctin-Par. They meet in the underground of Mivtrav. There, Roctin-Par insists on the malevolence of the Hetos Council and asks Rhodan what he intends to answer. Rhodan discloses his intent to pretend he accepts Hotrenor-Taak's demands in order to infiltrate the Council of the Seven. The two men eventually become allies.

Rhodan says he must fly back to the Milky Way to organize the resistance, but that it is not an option since Hotrenor-Taak will then nominate another Hetran. Instead, Roctin-Paar suggests that he and his men shoud kidnap Rhodan so that the Laren doesn't suspect they are actually allies.

At midnight, the rebels attack the buildings in which the Terrans reside. Rhodan and his team take advantage of the confusion to run away. During the fight, Icho Tolot rescues a few injured rebels and this is enough for he Larens to see through the stratagem. They now know that the rebels are trying to free the Terrans. Gucky reads in their minds that their orders are to capture the Terrans alive. Irmina Kotschistowa is captured during the fight.

As Rhodan and Atlan join Roctin-Par in his glider, Atlan suddenly decides not to leave. Since the plan has failed, Hotrenor-Taak will know the Terrans betrayed him. The only way out of this is to pretend they escaped from the rebels and came back to the Larens. Rhodan immediately agrees and they both leave, to Roctin-Par's great dismay.

Hotrenor-Taak then comes to the battle field and asks Rhodan and Atlan how come they are wearing battle suits. Expecting the question, Rhodan explains that the mutants had warned them about the forthcoming attack. Reluctant first, the Laren is eventually convinced by the two Terrans. He asks Rhodan not to put himself in peril in order to rescue his companions, and assures him the Larens will do everything they can to save them from the rebels.

Back in his bunker through a transmitter, Hotrenor-Taak directs his troops through the battle. Suddenly, the building where he left Atlan and Rhodan is under attack and before he can react, his whole troops fall under a heavy fire. A few seconds later, hiw own bunker is shaken by an explosion and its protection shield suddenly collapses.

Outside, a rebel spaceship is landing and wreaking havoc on the Larens. Hotrenor-Taak is caught unaware and orders the whole fleet of Hetossa to come to the rescue. The enemy ship then contacts him and affirms that Rhodan and the Terrans are on board. They will be executed unless the Larens let the ship go. Hotrenor-Taak is forced to comply, but orders his ships to follow the intruder in space. He cannot know that Rhodan and his companions are not on board.

A few minutes before, Rhodan and Atlan were with the four guards Hotrenor-Taak had left for them. As soon as the Laren leaves, the Terrans point their weapons at the guards and disarm them. Rhodan then throws a bomb through the transmitter that the Laren had just used, and another one toward the main panel that controls the protection field. Then they run away and stumble upon Gucky, who informs them that all of the Terrans are now safe with Roctin-Par in another part of Mivtrav, and that he must take them there now. Gucky tells them about the ship that is supposed to be leaving with them on board. Reassured, Rhodan and Atlan teleport with him, leaving one last bomb behind them. The commando, along with Roctin-Par and a few other rebels, is standing by a transmitter. As soon as the ship is reported to be taking off, Roctin-Par switches the transmitter on, as its energy is now covered by the departure of the ship. He tells Rhodan that they are headed toward Peyntepor, the first planet of the Hartzon system, where they will learn all they need about the means used by the Larens to enslave whole races.

Peyntepor is an ammoniac-methan world, whose native inhabitants are three-meter tall cyclops. Roctin-Par explains their story to Rhodan : they were contacted by the Hetos of Seven and, seduced by promises of freedom and power, decided to join. However, the Larens quickly took over their government, and then their fleet. All resistants were quickly disposed of and the Peynteporn soldiers were sent to distant planets.

Roctin-Par tells the Terrans he intends to send them back to the Milky Way in a few days, but in the meantime, he must take care of an important matter. One of his agents was recently uncovered by the Larens. He is now hiding on Peyntepor, but the Larens have located him. They are now searching the whole colony, and will soon find him out, which will have dramatic consequences for both the natives and the resistance movement. Rhodan offers his help, and together with the mutants, they head for the small colony.

Thanks to Gucky, the Terrans rescue Wohlan-Pol just before the Larens can find him. However, the Larens retaliate on the cyclop colony, killing dozens of them, but not being able to have any of them turn the rebel in. Rhodan sees for the first time the Larens in action, and is more than ever determined to fight them.

One week later, Roctin-Par decides that the time for the journey home has come. Seventeen small and stealth energy ships are prepared, each of them being able to carry two people. Each Terran boards a ship with a rebel as the pilot. Three hundred light years further, they dock with an SVE-Cruiser and head for the Earth, twelve million light years away. They reach the Earth several days later and after the initial surprise of seeing his friend back, Bull informs Rhodan that things have not been so quiet during his absence.