This was a colonial planet on the edge of the galaxy, orbiting a young and fiery star. In this galaxy far from the capital, there were few colonial planets like it, and even the nearest colony was dozens of light-years away. Its high temperatures and remote location meant it was hardly a place suited for comfort or habitation. Its purpose was to serve as the hub of the local space-defense network. It was one of countless military strongholds the Merrowa People had built in this universe. It was obscure now, but a thousand years ago, it had enjoyed great glory. Here, the Merrowa People had crushed the last force of resistance in this universe. That intelligent species, once rulers of this universe and only one step away from becoming aware of the Void Domain beyond their universe, had been halted by the Merrowa People's massive invasion. Their final fleet had been annihilated in this remote Star System. Even now, a small fraction of those wrecks still wandered along the star's Gravitational Boundary, waiting during their long journey to be captured by the star—or to drift into the endless darkness of space.
But no one cared about those wrecks, just as no one still cared where the former masters of this universe had gone. For this distant military stronghold, today was an ordinary day. No one worried about matters unrelated to them. Its armed satellites hummed with power, psionic energy filled the orbital planetary-defense batteries, and a massive General-class Carrier was preparing to depart from the starport at the gravitational balance point for its weekly deep-space patrol. Merrowa soldiers gripped their weapons tightly, waiting in orbital stations and surface military bases for this boring day to end. Their hearts were full of pride and confidence. They believed they had reached the