"Cowed into appeasement by the threat to destroy their home planets with antimatter warheads, the Federated Worlds are a spent force. Only a ragtag rebel army stands between the Hammer of Kraa and total victory. The consequences of that triumph are too terrible to contemplate. Thousands of worlds will be subjugated, millions murdered, and billions enslaved by an empire spanning hundreds of light years, an empire fuelled by blood, an empire built on the bones of its enemies. The rebels need help; without it, they too face annihilation. And their time is running out, fast. Michael Helfort's mission is simple: persuade the reluctant Feds to give the rebels the support they need to defeat the Hammer of Kraa. And, with the future of all of humanspace at stake, he cannot fail. But when Michael is betrayed by those he trusts most . . ."--