In the Light of the Murder Sun

Following his ouster as Council Chairman, Max von Valdec seeks to regain power, deploying his super-Drivers, Prometheus 107 and Isis 31, to conquer a planet. Meanwhile, Tosten Phibas, Manag of the Kaiser-Lancia Complex on Lancia, faces problems with the planet's "murder-sun" and his paranoid security manager, Maxwell Sholar, who is Valdec's cousin. Scanner Cloud, a Psyter from Shondyke, is drawn into Valdec's schemes as an unwilling helper. San Chornon, a Humo from Lancia, hates the Kaiser Corporation and offers his body as a host.

Valdec's emergency transit during an attack on Sarym strands him in Space I, a symbolic plane of existence. He encounters a gigantic, transformed Frost, and then Scanner Cloud, who reveals that Valdec's damaged Kaiser Force generator is blocking a junction point in the "road system". Cloud, motivated by self-interest, helps Valdec return to his funnel ship, the REGENT, but reveals that he can travel through Space II without a ship.

Back on Lancia, Tosten Phibas learns of Valdec's fall and the rise of Ignazius Tyll. Maxwell Sholar, loyal to Valdec, demands a declaration of solidarity, leading to conflict with Phibas and Kirkattu. Sholar arrests Phibas and Kirkattu, but then a strange transparency effect begins to engulf Kaisergrad, dissolving Protop walls and revealing the city's inner workings. San Chornon, investigating Terraform's plans to exploit Gandhi Lake, witnesses the transparency effect and is contacted by Scanner Cloud, who explains that the unstable zone is caused by energies from Space II and that a blocked transport is preventing the rift from closing. Cloud asks Chornon to surrender his body to him to destroy the threshold field generator.

On the REGENT, Valdec's crew discovers the energy loss caused by the transit through the unstable zone. They decide to head to Lancia to seize control of the Kaiser-Lancia Complex and refuel. Valdec, accompanied by Prometheus 107 and Isis 31, sets out in a fighter. As they approach Lancia, they encounter a PSI interference. The fighter is affected by the transparency effect and crashes. Valdec, Isis, and Prometheus eject and land near Kaisergrad. Meanwhile, Scanner Cloud, now in Chornon's body, and Merlin II, a Banshee, journey to Kaisergrad to destroy the threshold field generator. They encounter machines controlled by Banshees and navigate the transparent city.

Valdec and the super-Drivers reach Kaisergrad and are attacked by machines controlled by Banshees. They are then confronted by Maxwell Sholar, who plans to use a nuclear grenade to destroy the "Terranauts". Prometheus 107 intervenes, killing Sholar. Tosten Phibas is also killed. Valdec, Isis, and Prometheus enter Kaisergrad and head towards the threshold field generator. Scanner Cloud and Merlin II reach the generator. Merlin merges with the space lanes, and Cloud merges with the rainbow vortex. Valdec and his super-Drivers arrive at the generator, but Cloud and Merlin are gone.

Back on the REGENT, Valdec learns that the Guard base on Lancia was dissolved. He plans to resume Kaiser Force research on Lancia. On Shondyke, Scanner Cloud meets Hege Krotzer and Zalia, refugees from Lancia. He welcomes them to Shondyke and hopes they can help him repair the space lanes.