War rages between the Commonwealth and the alien empire of the reptilian K'Soth. With the conflict at its height, armies and navies clash across a hundred different systems as the two powers battle for supremacy. Meanwhile, in the shadows, other more ancient powers are stirring. Long forgotten by the younger races, they scheme and plot, seeking to manipulate the conflict to their own advantage before revealing themselves.

Gathered together within this collection are four tales set against the backdrop of this vast interstellar war, where danger and death lie in wait for humanity amongst the stars, where all is not what it seems, and where alliances may be found in the most unlikely of places.