An empire divided. A dark prophecy. The galaxy's fate rests in the hands of those willing to defy kings and gods alike.

Senjele stands on the precipice of civil war. Senator Clovis' plan to oust the dangerously authoritarian Emperor Rebos relies on getting enough support from the senate and lords of the empire before Rebos arrests him for treason. To play his part, Timothy must win the support of his countrymen, and muster an army with limited funds. While Senjele sends emissaries of peace, he knows that the emperor's true motives are to find a reason-any reason-to execute him. Halfway across the galaxy, Princess Shireen plots to unseat her deformed brother from the Erolyian throne. It would be easy if only she could win the support of the ancient order of Sandmen, the galaxy's most feared assassins. The Sandmen, however, have other ideas. They believe she's destined to defeat a terrifying new enemy, greater than any empire has ever faced before. An enemy that has awakened somewhere in deep space and threatens to destroy all life in the galaxy. Will these renegades rise to their true purpose or will civil war and political squabbling destroy them, and their worlds, first?