From Introduction: As the Palace fleet approaches the new star, something that hasn't happened in hundreds of years, the fragile alliances and agreements between the Palaces are increasingly coming under strain. You are a citizen of one of the Palaces, one that's currently at war. And you're not just any citizen. Your friends and neighbors don't know it, but you are a spook. You are an elite agent trained to use drugs to destroy and create memories. This is how wars are fought in the Palace fleet. The front lines of the war are memories, and enemy spooks will remodel yours if you let your guard down. In a society without violence, power is the ability to change your enemy's mind.