This is a classic science fiction novel by Marion Zimmer Bradley. This work tells the story of the Space Academy graduate, Bart Steele, and his attempt to travel undercover to the Lhari home-world on a mission to steal the secret of faster-than-light travel. This work is part of our Vintage Sci-Fi Classics Series, a series in which we are republishing some of the best stories in the genre by some of its most acclaimed authors, such as Isaac Asimov, Harry Harrison, and Robert Sheckley. Each publication is complete with a short introduction to the history of science fiction.