The alien Klikiss robots, pretending to be allies of humanity, have covertly planted an insidious Trojan Horse throughout the Earth Defense Forces. The sudden rebellion of Earth's soldier robots leaves millions dead and the Terran Hanseatic League defenseless. In a desperate attempt to save his own race, the Ildiran Mage-Imperator, Jora'h, is forced into a devil's bargain with the evil hydrogues, requiring him to ambush and destroy what remains of the human race. But the gypsy Roamer clans and the green priests of the worldforest are discovering innovative ways to rebel, and have found strange allies with incomprehensible power. As the climactic battle begins, the Ildiran Solar Navy, the Earth Defense Forces, the Roamers, the green priests, Klikiss robots, and hydrogue warglobes collide in a fury that will destroy many - and devastate the landscape of the Spiral Arm forever.