Is it paranoia if they really are out to get you? Cleaning up the Imperial Police on Sintar turns out to be harder than Nick Ashton thought, when surviving members of the "old guard" infiltrate Headquarters and conspire to kill him and Director Carter in order to take over. But is one of their trusted number part of the conspiracy? Who can they trust? Meanwhile, tensions are rising between other star nations and the Sintaran Empire, and the focal point is Imperial City. Can Ashton and the others eliminate the conspirators before they're eliminated? And can they do it in time to aid the Emperor?