The Solar Empire is the oldest human power in the Frontier and it has never let anyone forget it. Its Throne descends from the ark council that ruled by decree at Landfall, and its nobility from the families who held the council's seats. For two centuries it governed the Frontier from the Aurelian Ring, and its beam fleets, burning with light captured from the star itself, were the finest ever built.

The Long Flare and the Sundering cost it most of its reach, but none of its pride. The Empire still holds the Ring, still fields the strongest shields and the most expensive warships in known space, and still regards every other power in the Frontier as a rebellious province. It wages war with the serene cruelty of a people who believe their right to rule is written in the sky.