THE SIGNS POINT TO WAR When rebels plot to murder the Emperor during a diplomatic delegation, Imperial bodyguard Sten only just manages to save his master's life. But the same plot took out the visiting Tahn delegation, causing relationships between the two powers to crumble completely. While both s[...]

Vulcan is a factory planet, centuries old, Company run, ugly as sin, and unfeeling as death. Vulcan breeds just two types of native - complacent or tough. Sten is tough. When his family is killed in a mysterious accident, Sten rebels, harassing the Company from the metal world's endless mazelike war[...]