A soft power rises in the Empire, but is is as benign as it seems? A Terran Seedkeeepr trades heirloom vegetables for royal favor. first by quieting the Imperial Princess's unruly pregnancy cravings, then by becoming the last lifeline for the heir growing in her womb. Her purse now champions his "food sovereignty," a gentle phrase that threatens the iron grip of the Empires preferred vendor, who would rather see the empire starve than lose his market share. Emperor Xerxes cannot dismiss the grocer without losing popular support. Nor allow a foreign farmer to form a monopoly. Meanwhile, unseen invaders from beyond the galaxy, starve the rest of the realm but spare the Seedkeeper who delights their superhuman senses. The future now teeters on the empire's softest asset: the Seedkeeper is the single hinge on which the crown, the cradle, and the galaxy's fate all swing.