The Sirian rebellion has proved the catalyst for the rise of two powerful new forces in the galaxy. Ngen Van Chow, leader of the failed rebellion, has fled to a distant world from which he plans to launch an interstellar holy war of destruction. His secret weapon--a long-hidden technology which can transform ordinary men and women into fanatical soldiers of Deus. And on the long-lost colony planet of World, the Warriors of Spider and their Patrol allies prepare themselves for civilization's final stand against a seemingly unstoppable foe!