Could Romanan warriors and Directorate technology halt the devastating advance of interstellar holy war?The Sirian rebellion had proved the catalyst for the rise of two powerful new forces in the galaxy. Ngen Van Chow, leader of the failed rebellion, had fled to a distant world from which he would launch an interstellar holy war of destruction, a war fueled by the discovery of a long-hidden technology which can transform ordinary men and women into fanatical soldiers of Deus.While on the long-lost colony planet of World, the Romanans, known as the Warriors of Spider, and their Patrol allies - formerly part of the military and police force which kept order among the worlds and stations controlled by the computer network of the Directorate - prepared for civilization's final stand against this seemingly unstoppable conqueror.