Following the death of the Cembelese Queen, and the suicide of her regent Vared, Wallace is elevated to the position of regent. He is given two commands, to ensure no resistance to the invasion by Lord Mallick and to protect Destazio, the heir apparent to the throne of Cembrel - a choice as successor Wallace does not understand.

He is also given a strange final instruction by Regent Vared, his former mentor. "Accept no Link, but Comply!" This means he must collaborate with the invader of his world but not accept the electronic implant which is the link, and so mean that he has a chance to gain Cembrel it's freedom in future times.

Add to this Mallick's plans to locate the legendary L'Arobi Frame, the mechanism controlling the series of subspace corridors which will allow travel to previously unreachable areas of the galaxy.

This book reads a little in structure like a fantasy novel. We have the invading warlord, we have the legends and we have the small band fighting back against the oppresor. Even the corridors for the space travel feel a little like travelling between mystical portals such as you might find in a sorcerer's lair. But this is most definitely science fiction. The magicks are replaced with high technology; devices like electronic eyes seeing for the former Queen's blind born son, and the interrogation done by means of chemical and gadgets rather than sorcery.

This is a good underdogs fight back story, the characters are engaging and the pace of the tale pulls you through to its conclusion. E.L. Noel tells a good story, merging elements of different genres without leaving things feeling like a clash of cultures. This was an enjoyable read, one which although it might not satisfy the hard sf fans should certainly find favour with fans of both Fantasy tales and Space Opera.

Synopsis
  Two thousand years in the future, the Lord Mallick, leader of the Ami-Den Alliance, devises a brutal and brilliant plan to conquer the galaxy. Using corridors that tie one planet to another, Mallick's magnificent gunships have arrived at Cembel, home world of Wallace, the Cembelese Regent, and a man bitterly opposed to Mallick's triumphant advance. Faced with the certain destruction of his world and the worlds of his Alliance, Wallace is captured, held prisoner and compelled to bend to Mallick's will.

  Wallace attempts to comply with the Ami-Den warlord, while clandestinely forming a partnership with rebels who fight against Mallick and the usurper king he has placed in power on Cembel. Receiving veiled instructions, Wallace follows the vague plans laid out by his predecessor and sets upon a dangerous course to free his world, and, perhaps, protect the gem of the galaxy, the key to the Alliances, the jewel prized above all others... the L'arobi Frame.