The series takes place centuries in the future, where humans and other species have come together to form the Interplanetary Alliance, a federation government of numerous planets.
[1] After being court-martialed for inadvertently ordering the strafing of a peace conference, Captain Jester is shipped off to command the Omega Company, a dumping ground for the Legion's foul-ups and misfits.
He is instead promoted to the rank of Captain and shipped off to Haskin's Planet to command the Omega Company, a dumping ground for the Legion's foul-ups and misfits.
Instead of the potentially abysmal assignment it was meant to be he sets out using his business acumen and determination to turn around the unruly “Omega Mob” into a crack military unit, giving the Jester the last laugh.
Phule is a strong-willed individual, with a strong dislike for stereotyping, and not infrequently finds himself in conflict with other authority figures such as his father.
His not inconsiderable talents include finance, group dynamics, military tactics and strategy, leadership, and public relations.
Although a physical description is not given in the stories beyond the fact that she is a very big woman, but not fat, you get the impression that she is Amazonian: very good looking, in early middle age, over 6 feet tall, and thoroughly three-dimensional.
Beeker notes that before meeting Phule she specialised in landscapes, but after he took over the company she expressed an interest in painting a nude portrait of him.
Phule's major concern with her is teaching her to develop the habit of command, to trust her judgement, and to learn to exercise her authority.
He is also quite intelligent, and since he only sleeps a few minutes a day he spends his wealth of free time reading a daunting variety of human books to better learn the language and culture.
The product of a wealthy family, Sushi was acquainted with Phule socially before they separately joined the Space Legion.
Now, instead of a petty-grade kleptomaniac and a cold, calculating risktaker that usually held back, Do-Wop and Sushi are Omega Company's greatest masters of larceny.
The lack of face-to-face contact is the defining factor of Mother's shyness; when not dealing with people in person, she can be something of a smart-ass until the chips are down.
He represented the Omega Mob in a competition against an elite Regular Army unit with the Olympic light saber in Phule's Company and almost defeated him, despite never having fenced before.
He also has been known to attempt to throw a monkey wrench into the smooth operation of the Omega Mob by complying with the letter of the regulations.
The officer who originally assigned Phule to the Omega Company and his immediate superior, Battleaxe fully expected that the tough duty would lead to his resignation.
She was surprised but pleased when he instead turned them around and has since become his staunchest defender in the Space Legion, to the point of breaking off her first vacation in years to cross the galaxy and assist him against one of Blitzkrieg's schemes.
Though not a member of the unit, he is nevertheless indebted to Phule, whom he met during the first book, with pulling him out of disrepute due to his mistaking a ceremonial vase for a waste receptacle at a prominent reception.
This incident led to his placement on an exploration team which crash landed upon the swamp planet, Haskins, whereupon their outfit was discovered and fired upon by Do-Wop of the Omega Company out of ignorance.
When Captain Jester requested a chaplain for the Omega Company, General Blitzkrieg sent him the Reverend Jordan Ayres,[3] of the Church of The King.