The distant future is in the throes of a post-apocalyptic nightmare. Peaceful planets are fair game for the violent militaristic planets determined to conquer the galaxy and add to their dystopian kingdoms. Life is cheap, and death is quick, and peace and love are concepts followed by the weak and defenseless inhabitants of the peaceful planets much to the satisfaction of the galactic warmongers. During an attack on Earth, alien invaders believed the planet to be weakly defended by only a token resistance force, their information was faulty, and there were pockets of well-armed militia and the initial attacks by the aliens were quickly dispatch by the Earth unexpected force. It was during on the initial invasion, many aliens suffered death, as that was the current rules of war. Taking prisoners was discouraged. One freedom fighter, Atreides, equated herself well and in the aftermath of the horrific battle, she found most of the aliens she confronted to be dead except one. Nufud. Atreides believed in the sanctity of life and found it abhorrent to murder a defeated opponent, and she took the severely wounded and unconscious Nufud as a prisoner of war. When the alien awakens, she is in a comfortable place, being tended to, and it never dawns on her that she is a prisoner. Once Atreides realizes that she decides not to tell Nufud anything different, thus leading to some very awkward situations going forward.