First volume in the Nraak Confederation Series: Captain Mark Sterling and his team had been sent to investigate the ruins of a city on Dla u IV, a desert world circling a sickly K type star, a hundred plus light-years from Earth. They found a humanoid alien race called the Ti e working in the mines of Dla u, but ignored their warning that they should leave the planet before they were discovered by their masters. The Nraak ruled not only the Ti e and Dla u, but dozens of alien races across a thousand worlds in the Galaxy. Mark and his team survived their capture by the Nraak, but were dragged into the ongoing conflict between the Nraak and their overlords, the Nasuwarna. They might survive to return to Earth but only if they could help the Nraak defeat the unseen Nasuwarna. (Volume 2: Blood Red Petals Ankle Deep ----- Volume 3: Antique Ladies and Gray Malevolence)"