Resting from the battle, Perry tries to solve two problems- 1) the mystery of the matter transmitters and 2)how to capture an Arkonide battle cruiser intact. The battle moves from space onto the planet's surface. With the Good Hope out of the battle, the Topides seem victorious. He arrives courtesy of a matter transmitter which contains technology far beyond Ferron capabilities. Dwarfed by the mammoth craft, the Good Hope, an auxillary ship, is severely damaged by the battle cruiser.įorced to land, Perry makes contact with the Ferrons and meets their ruler, the Thort. Suddenly a huge Arkonide battle cruiser enters the fray. The Good Hope immediately takes up the battle against the Topides, quickly destroying Arkonide and Topide ships alike. Caught in the middle of the search for Earth are the people of Ferrol, one of Vega's 42 planets.

Although the invaders are using Arkonide ships, it turns out that they are the Topides, a lizard race that has long opposed Arkon. The Good Hope hyperjumps into the middle of a huge space battle. He feels that his interference is needed to prevent the discovery of Earth. However, he reasons that the jumps are the result of a small error by a race trying to trace the alarm signal from the Arkonide moon wreckage. Perry doubts that the decadent Arkonides are capable of the huge amount of energy needed to explain the signuals. Thora and Khrest believe that the jumps are the result of Arkonide activity of some kind, but Reggie is dead set against investigating and putting the Good Hope in harm's way. The pages are discoloured, as you can see in the pictures it’s worse along the top. The pages are all still holding to the binding, it’s just the card cover that’s coming loose. This could be repaired by someone who knows what they’re doing. The relative nearness of this intense activity sets off alarms on Earth. The cover is coming away at the spine from the bottom (pictured) but is still holding together. Out in the far reaches of the Solar System, a detector has registered over 200 hyperjumps into the Vega Sector. It is three years after the defeat of the Mind Snatchers.

The Vega Sector by Karl-Herbert Scheer