The galaxy's inhabited planets are held together by the repressive Eron Company, the apparent holder of the secret to faster-than-light travel through the Tubes, the network linking the scattered worlds together. Mysterious parties have hired the adventurer Horn to assassinate the company's general manager, Garth Kohlnar.

The galaxy's inhabited planets are held together by the repressive Eron Company, the apparent holder of the secret to faster-than-light travel through the Tubes, the network linking the scattered worlds together. Mysterious parties have hired the adventurer Horn to assassinate the company's general manager, Garth Kohlnar.