Daniel Hankerson is genetically enhanced member of the royal family but rather than family fortune and influence, he always rather relied on his ability to evaluate people, which helps him during his work for naval intelligence and also while playing cards. This ability now tells him that something is in the air when he almost become a victim of an attempted murder and the upcoming mission to the fringes of the Imperium does not give him a good feeling. The more they talk about how it is just a routine test of a brand new communication ship, the more suspicious it is. Central Imperium is too big, too fragine and holds together by too many compromises. External enemies are about to take a bit of its territory but the internal ones are even more dangerous.