It's an urgent assignment for Vernay?get control of the totalitarian government of Ujvila. Hard enough, but Vernay's also got to do it before Galactic-Military solves the problem its own way: by slamming in an invasion force and destroying half the planet.

The natives of Anthropol don't like aliens and they don't want Vernay. So it's going to be a tough assignment.

One of the toughest of his career.