They all wanted the relic. The Interstellar Union of Civilized Peoples wanted a weapon out of legend, one that could crush planets and smash suns, to give it the control over the planets of men it so grandly claimed. The Orion colonies wanted to keep the relic out of the hands of the Stellar Union. The Society of Truth wanted to separate truth from legend, as was its mission; knowledge that might save the universe was merely a bonus. Acey Transit was as interested in winning a hand of solitaire as he was in searching the middle of nowhere for a rock that wasn't just a rock. But he found it - and unfriendly ships in firing range. Against long odds, Sudden Smith wanted to survive another starship battle with most of his body intact - and to reconcile with the woman of his dreams. Christopher Marlowe Paxton wanted his too-expensive convoy to return safely, his daughter to reconcile with the captain of the ship on escort duty (if he returned safely), and war to hold off until Autarchia was ready. Facing the end of the world - her world - by an unstoppable alien invasion, the Planetary Director of Whistlestop, only wanted a small favor. You can't always get what you want.