Douglas Oliver’s ancestors were genetically engineered to be perfect soldiers for the Imperial armies. The Empire has been gone for 3000 years but it’s legacy remains. Strong, fast, smart and aggressive, the people of Illyria relish competition of every sort. In Meridien, the richest nation on Illyria, the greatest game of all is the Game of Life, and in the Game of Life, keeping score is simple. Status, riches and power mean that you’re winning, but the rulers of Meridien know that too much competition can destroy everything. The Guilds and the Guild Council ensure that the rules of the Game are followed. Douglas Oliver is nowhere near the most powerful player in the Game, but he’s young and he’s successful. He has time. He understands the rules and he isn’t afraid of being challenged, until a challenge arrives from an unknown agent and suddenly, the Game is no longer just a game. It’s an all-out war with Douglas Oliver at its center, a war that threatens everything and everyone that he loves.

Awakened after 2000 years to find a new Empire rising to replace the old, Michael is given a second chance to make a difference. Can he take advantage of that chance? Does he even want to? Trouble is brewing among the stars. Ships are vanishing. Military bases are being attacked. Chaos is spreading. Is this random piracy or a wide-spread conspiracy? Naval intelligence is desperate to find out and Michael Glover, a soldier without a country, a man thought dead for over 2000 years, reluctantly decides that he cannot stand by when duty calls. But Michael Glover has an independent streak. He’ll carry out the mission but he’ going to do it in his own inimitable way, whether naval intelligence likes it or not.

In command of one of the most advanced ships ever built, posing as an itinerant merchant captain, Michael Glover has wandered from world to world, building his unorthodox crew and trying without success to avoid trouble. He found a refuge for the citizens of Chronos, who fled a pocket Universe about to implode, and he helped Douglas Oliver, the Secretary General of Illyria, uncover the deadly plans of a rogue military commander allied with the slaver network, and now Michael Glover has accepted a commission to spy for naval intelligence. The worlds and habitats of the Second Empire have come under attack from unknown adversaries. The enemy hits and runs and vanishes, slowly sapping the Empire’s strength. The outlines of an Empire wide conspiracy can dimly be seen and so far, all attempts to identify the enemy have failed. The Empire has almost unimaginable power, but power is worthless with no one to fight. Michael Glover has been given a mission but he will carry out his mission in any way that he sees fit, because Michael Glover has secrets of his own. What is a soldier to do when faced with overwhelming odds? Whatever is necessary…