Pindharee: Joel Richards

As a young officer in Earth's Federation Fleet, Damon Hart is faced with a terrible decision. On a routine exploration for worlds to colonise, Damon discovers a once-great civilisation, with only magnificent cities remaining as a monument to the inhabitants' former glory. But he soon learns that the creators of these wonders are not extinct; they have harnessed their world's resources, using a technology that surpasses anything man has ever dreamed of. They are willing to share it - for a price. Damon must choose to desert the Service and enter a dangerous alliance - or to follow the edicts of his superiors and eradicate the very people who might save his civilisation. Cover art by David Mattingly.