Synopsis: Rostma. The plague of the galaxy – a highly addictive drug that steals the souls of humans and nonhumans alike. On the hell-planet of Kenszana, it is harvested by slave labor, whose lives are held cheap by their brutal masters... To rescue a beautiful woman kidnapped as a pawn in an interworld power play, Kelly and Samms must join the ranks of the wretched. But the mission goes wrong - terribly wrong - as 41 turns traitor, and Kelly himself succumbs to the powerful lure of rostma. (from the back cover of the Ace Books first edition)