When the head of the fuel production plant holds the fleet hostage by providing unsafe fuel, he's arrested for treason, which results in the Chief sent to the ship and held responsible for getting the plant back up and running.
A good deal of ill-feeling has developed among the survivors of the Twelve Colonies. Seelix aces the exam and interview to become a Viper pilot but is rejected because her work on the flight deck is too important. Others find themselves in the same situation, not being able to advance or improve their life and there is a growing sense that there are the privileged and the rest with no chance of change. This is certainly the case on the fuel refining ship where ill-feeling has turned into work stoppages and sabotaging fuel. The Admiral puts Chief Tyrol in charge of getting the refinery ship up and running again but the conditions he finds on board lead him to side with the workers. He goes toe to toe with Admiral over following orders and ends up in the brig. Tyrol soon finds himself as the labor negotiator for all of the workers in the fleet.—garykmcd