The federation have captured resistance leader Roj Blake and wiped his memory. When Blake sees a group of rebels gunned down, his memories return, and Blake is put on trial on fabricated charges by the Federation.

Blake and his companions are on the prison space transporter bound for Cygnus Alpha, but Blake has no intention of spending his life as a convict on a penal planet.

In the alien spaceship which they have named Liberator, Blake, Jenna and Avon plan to free the prisoners held on Cygnus Alpha.

On their way to attack the Federation communications complex on the planet Saurian Major, Blake and his crew discover a mysterious projectile drifting in space.

Blake and his companions discover that Cally, their new crew member, has sabotaged the Liberator. Apparently out of control, the ship plunges on into uncharted space.

Stepping up his war against the Federation, Blake plans to steal the message decoder from a top security installation on the planet Centero. But things go badly wrong...