"Who knows what evil?" Loy said quietly. "We too have a saying. The more you stare at the Devil the more it looks at you."

"And yet we stare, Friend Loy, because the Devil knows the Truth, and it is our job to make it tell us."

Omega Station hangs in the vastness of space. Built by a long-forgotten race, it is home to the six races of the Collective who meet to learn from each other, to research and try out new technology, and to discuss the problems that face them all.

As the Collective meet to discuss the increasingly dangerous Ackley Winds, their meeting is interrupted by the violent death of one of their members. Terran detective Adrian Cray and his new partner quickly learn that the death is part of a deeper, more vicious conspiracy that has the potential to engulf and destroy the whole of Omega Station.