Having fled to the Triangulum galaxy to escape the Centaur invasion of the Milky Way, the crew of the time ship Valentinian, in company with the alien vessels Jhutat and The Heart of Turilsus, set out to find survivors of the long-lost Ahshari civilisation in the hope that their higher technology can be used to fight the Centaur menace. At the very least, William hopes that they'll have the means to restore his permanently comatose wife to full health and consciousness.
But the forces of the dominant power in Triangulum, the Maht Imperium, are hunting the last remnants of the Ahshari with the intention of making them extinct. Anyone who associates with the Ahshari is also considered an enemy of the Imperium.
With their supplies and resources almost depleted, the three crews must either abandon their search for the Ahshari and try to establish a colony in Triangulum, or locate the ancient race without the Imperium discovering their intentions.
