There are planets known to the Empire, planets quarantined for their unique energy fields, planets on which strange, unnatural things occur. The locals have been known to call it viiri, or magic. In no instance has it been found to function in space, or on other planets. Until now.

After visiting the quarantined planet Glemux against his will, Doogan wants nothing more than to put the strange world behind him, fix his computer girlfriend, and find the bastard who sent him there. But the espionage wing of the Empire has something else in mind. A planet has broken out of its quarantine, sent dark ships into space and brought magic with them.

Drafted as a de facto expert, Doogan returns to Glemux to consult the only real experts he knows, the Dúranaki T'vance and his magically adept friends, unwittingly entangling them in a conflict that threatens the very fabric of civilization.

But as any Dúranaki will tell you, there isn't a conflict that can't be resolved with a few strategic murders