Flame-Jewel of the Ancients

An interstellar adventure opens with two Terran super-Galactics confronting a lone Delban cruiser that, ringed by a peculiar mesh antenna, taps virtually limitless broadcast energy from a mysterious ancient golden sphere; the smaller ship uses that power to overload and destroy the Terran battleships. The catastrophe provokes alarm and political debate on the Lorle Sector Council as leaders weigh neutrality and the threat of wider war. The narrative follows Glayne and his crew through frantic shipboard action, evacuation and pursuit of safety, while characters struggle to understand the device behind the devastation and the implications for galactic power.