Sam Austin has led a long and storied life. He's been an Apollo astronaut and an inventor. He's served as the president of the United States for ten nonconsecutive terms, which should be impossible. Then again, Sam's an impossible individual-he's over 180 years old, and looks as hale and youthful as he did when he walked on the moon in the early 1970s.

The secret to Sam's longevity lies among the stars, and it's to the stars his thoughts always return. Sam's sunk his vast resources into the development of humanity's first functional faster-than-light propulsion system. Now he and a few...

Sam Austin's dream of colonizing a distant planet seems to have come true. It's the twenty-second century, and Citadel, an earthlike planet located light years from the original home of humanity, is thriving. The colony has survived an alien invasion, and Austin hopes to move forward with peaceful intergalactic trade.

Back on Earth, US president Courtney Harrington is losing ground in the polls. In a ploy to improve public opinion, she makes false claims against Austin and Citadel. Harrington convinces the international community that Citadel has the technology-and the intent-to invade...