Synopsis: Kier expected betrayal when he answered the Imperial summons to the court at Nyor ont he planet Earth. Why else would a star king from a loyal Rimworld state be told to appear with only those of his household "needful for his comfort"? His resistance to increasing Imperial demands for tribute had earned him the name of Rebel among his own people, yet Kier remained loyal to the Vykan dynasty and the Empire, despite the fact that the emperor - the Galacton - was only a twelve year old boy. He had anticipated treachery, but not treason and the downfall of an emperor. In the desperate hours that ensued, when he managed to escape with his small band of followers and with Ariane, the beautiful sister sister of the Galacton, Kier fought fiercely to keep the Second Stellar Empire united and to restore peace to it. Failure would mean the return - perhaps forever - of a black age that would surpass any man had ever known. Yet when the final trial came, even Kier hesitated before its enormity. (from the first page of the Ace Books paperback)