The Sirian rebellion had proved the catalyst for the rise of two powerful new forces in the galaxy. Ngen Van Chow, leader of the failed rebellion, had fled to a distant world, establishing a base from which he would launch an interstellar holy war of destruction, a war fueled by the discovery of a long-hidden technology which could transform ordinary men and women into fanatical soldiers of Deus.While on the long-lost colony planet of World, the Romanans, known as the warriors of Spider, and their Patrol allies - formerly part of the military and police force which kept order among the worlds and stations controlled by the computer network of the Directorate - prepared for civilization's final stand against this seemingly unstoppable conqueror.