The Merchant returns to establish his empire, but will the ruling powers of the galaxy destroy him first? Brae Starlore despairs after her hope in the return of the Merchant dies with her father. The despot Raylean Prefect and the Master Keeper of the Protector seek to kill her and anyone associated with Navi Daeson Starlore's insurrection at the Magnifical games. Severely wounded and with no place to go, Brae's only ally is the arrogant and aggravating pilot, Rhett Stryker. When the Merchant finally arrives and enlists Brae and Rhett to join his cause, they discover that not only do the Raylean political powers want them destroyed, but so does the reigning galactic Morian empire. Will the Immortal Sovereign Ell Yon intercede to defend the Merchant's rightful place as the leader of the Raylean homeworld or is the hope of reclamation just an ancient myth?