Steve Holbrook, with his defense reserve squadron, is called upon to resist the incursion of an unknown star cruiser. The defenders fail to prevent the cruiser from destroying their world, but manage to survive. Who destroyed the planet and the pioneers who lived there? How was it done? Why would anyone destroy an out-of-the-way agricultural planet in such a destructive display of power? To track down and apprehend the one responsible, Steve will rely on friends old and new, follow a trail of clues, endure an assassination attempt, use powerful new technologies, and discover something alien...

Earth is governed by Corporations. Automation has made unemployment normal. The work ethic has been replaced by interactive virtual reality. Yet within ten years the population will exceed the ability of the infrastructure to feed everyone, and it will all come tumbling down... unless a productive solution can be achieved. In Volume 1 (Modulus) Paul Harden attempted a solution and failed badly. In the process, he destroyed an entire planet, killing almost all of its settlers. Now Harden is on the run, an escapee. He has a hole card he believes in, a way back to what he believes is his...