Centuries in the future, Earth, the cradle of humanity, has
been all but forgotten by the descendants of the hardy pioneers
it once scattered through an area of light-years to colonize
the remote sections of the galaxy. But in the dense central star
clusters of the Milky Way, some of these descendants have brought
a vast new society into existence... the Federation of the Hub,
the mightiest human civilization in history.
For mankind, this is a period of star-spanning subspace ships,
of high adventure, great discoveries and achievements... and
equally great danger. the basic human qualities, good and evil,
have not changed, and on the hundreds of Federation worlds, highly
organized power groups are pitted against one another in ruthless
struggles for economic advantage and political control, searching
constantly for ever more effective weapons against their
competitors.
Such groups are taking an unhealthy interest in the recent
discovery of the plasmoids... strange and alarming life-forms
with robot-like traits who are believed to have been developed
by a long-vanished alien race, the Old Galactics, to act as their
servants. the exclusive possession of these incredible living
machines will mean a decisive advantage for one or another of
the conflicting factions in the Federation.
Against this background, a beautiful and quick-tempered young
woman unwillingly finds herself drawn into the deadly network
of political intrigue surrounding the plasmoids. Invisible
influences threaten her existence as, behind the scenes, an
unknown master-schemer manipulates his human and plasmoid puppets
against the Federation.
The action shifts from world to world, the petty human struggles
being dwarfed gradually by the implacable purpose of the malevolent
hidden foe, whose identity must be painfully deduced from the
few clues provided by his actions, and whose power, aided by
human greed and selfishness, is growing to the point where it
will be unleashed in overwhelming fury against all mankind.
The search for this entity leads the story's heroine and her
companions at last to a sinister fortress hidden in the vast,
unnatural depths of subspace, to a meeting with the enemy, and
to a decision which determines the fate of man and of all life
in the galaxy.
She didn't hear what Quillan answered, because things faded
out around then. When they faded in again, the passageway with
the mirrors had disappeared, and they were coming to the top
of a short flight of low, wide stairs and into a very beautiful
room. This room was high and long, not very wide. In the center
was a small square swimming pool, and against the walls on either
side was a long row of tall square crystal pillars through which
strange lights undulated slowly. Trigger glanced curiously at
the nearest pillar. She stopped short.
"Galaxy!" she said, startled.
Quillan reached back and grabbed her arm with his gun hand.
"Keep moving, girl! That's just how Belchik keeps his harem
grouped around him when he's working. Not too bad an idea --
it does cut down the chatter. This is his office."
"Office!" Then she saw the large business desk with
prosaic standard equipment which stood on the carpet on the other
side of the pool. They moved rapidly past the pool, Quillan still
hauling at her arm. Trigger kept staring at the pillars they
passed. Long-limbed, supple and languid, they floated there in
their crystal cages, in tinted, shifting lights, eyes closed,
hair drifting about their faces.
"Awesome, isn't it?" Quillan's voice said.
"Yes," said Trigger. "Awesome. One in each
-- he is a pig! They look drowned."
"He is and they aren't," said Quillan. "Very
lively girls when he lets them out. Now around this turn and...
oops!"
Pluly had reached the turn at the end of the row of pillars,
moaned again and fallen forwards.
"Fainted!" Quillan said. "Well, we don't need
him any more. Watch your step, Trigger -- dead one just behind
Pluly."
