Publisher's Synopsis
The Tau Ceti colony supplies Earth with critical medicine, supports scientists from Earth, and operates a library ship that gathers petabytes of valuable data. Somehow, it isn't enough. For mysterious reasons, the Western Alliance tried to undermine the colony's control over itself in pursuit of mysterious goals. The colonists resisted. Now, the Western Alliance has called a conference to discuss colonial policy, and the uninvited colonists are convinced that the conference is just a ploy to justify the use of force against them. Patrick Malley, Administrator of the colony, has few allies and little experience in dealing with the forces that the Western Alliance can muster against the tiny colony. Despite that, he is determined to attend the conference and fight for his world.Battling intrigue and unfamiliar technology, the Tau Ceti colonists will face the overwhelming power of the Western Alliance, leading to a deadly confrontation in deep space.
