The Guard is the most secret and most high-tech special service of the explored sector of space—the last line of defense of humankind. Galactic terrorists, all-powerful mafia clans, dangerous artifacts left behind by the precursors—these are only the smallest list of problems it deals with. It enters the game when all options are exhausted and there is no other way out. It can act where others are powerless and can only give up. It helped the League of Civilized Planets resolve more than one crisis. And now a crisis has arisen inside itself…