The Empire was in danger, with a weak sybarite on the throne, and rebellion rising in outlying regions of the Galaxy and on Earth itself. Then the Emperor was assassinated, and General Ivar Brady-Schiovana was forced to declare himself Emperor, though his son, the heir apparent, was a coward and incompetent to rule. But hope appeared in the persons of two men and a woman. Centuries ago, a similar trio, one of them the legendary Basil Castellan, had fought for the Empire against its enemies. These three were not, could not be the same legendary heroes. Or could they …?