Take an ultra rich planetary company for a base, add in a inventor great uncle who developed a transport machine that was worth considerable wealth - a good part of which was already pilifered by the uncle to build it and which he promptly used to disappear from the company's grasp before they could talk to him about it. Slice and dice an evil uncle who desired to control the company his brother was in charge of, so much so he had him and his wife murdered, leaving behind a beautiful daughter who wanted to displace the uncle when she came of age. She was assigned an impossible task in the hope she would die if she attempted to complete it, with promises from the evil uncle which he never intended to keep if by some miracle she did. The final ingredient was some of the best combat troops ever gathered outside of Hammer's Slammers she hired to help her. The seasoning is the ability of Master Author David Drake to write a tale of nonstop situations and action that will keep you reading into the wee hours. Enjoy.