The Sword of Johnny Damokles

A young pilot is ordered on a covert reconnaissance mission to Neptune, accompanied by a large, outspoken companion, after spaceport authorities detect unexplained ship activity near their frontier. Intelligence suggests a powerful Tsom clan has acquired an obscure twentieth-century warlord's handbook and may be organizing planetary unity and a monstrous weapon to begin a multiworld campaign. The story follows the pair as they navigate cultural friction, military command, and the practical dangers of scouting a potentially unified, expansionist society, blending brisk pulp action and planetary intrigue with concerns about how extremist doctrines can catalyze organized violence across worlds.