From the back of the book: "Tell Norris I'm sorry." This is the Emperor Strephon's last message, given to the crew of the ISS Arrival Vengeance to take back with them to the Domain of Deneb. Strephon was the last stop on Arrival Vengeance's three-year mission to save civilization. It is 1126. Three years earlier, 1123, Archduke Norris, ever faithful to the Imperial Ideal, ordered a top-secret mission. A hundred year old cruiser was "borrowed" from a mothball fleet and assigned a hand-picked crew. It was prepared for a three year cruise. The ship: ISS Arrival Vengeance, a 60,000-ton Azhanti High Lightning-class cruiser. The course: Cross the Great Rift to Daibei, run trailward to Delphi, then coreward to Core and Gushemege. Contact Craig, Margaret, Lucan, and Strephon. The mission: Penetrate the war-torn shattered Imperium in search of some hope of a reunified Imperium. Join the crew of Arrival Vengeance, be a custodian of the future of the Domain of Deneb - perhaps the entire Imperium. The mission is ambitious, but surely it must succeed. The Imperium can't really be dead, can it? Can the dream really be over? As a member of the hand picked crew, you will negotiate with Aslan nobles, witness the slave trade in the depths of Massilia, meet with the Hand of Varian, and have a show-down with Lucan's forces. You will also meet with Duke Craig, Duchess Margaret, and learn the truth about Strephon. Tough times demand tough people. Accept the challenge of Arrival Vengeance.