The Fourth Book in the Coalition Series. The Restoration Edict was supposed to restore order. But the War of the Coalescency had shattered the fragile alliances that had once united an entire Galaxy. Now the Coalition has been forced to retreat back towards the Hub Sector. The Non-Conformist planets had finally declared their independence and the alien races were once more gathering to challenge the power of the Coalition. The story of the Custodia and the Cortex comes full circle in the next chapter of the Coalition saga. The journey which began at the Far Star Colony ends inside its ruins. Two former enemies come face to face with not one mortal enemy, but three.