Far off the Standard shipping lanes of the Five Galaxies, the Planet of Equis has existed for untold millennia, peaceful and undisturbed. Her inhabitants know nothing of the Wars that have cost the lives of trillions throughout the Universe over the centuries, nor of the mighty Races consumed with dominating all others under Their sway.

But all that is about to change.

Her shuttle pod badly damaged, and barely able to make lightspeed, a lone Tymbrimi female desperately searches for a place to make planetfall before her ship is destroyed by her pursuers. Arriving in an instant through uncharted space, she manages to spot a planet that had never appeared before on any chart and makes for it.