The Packard Defence

In the fourth part of The Empire Dance, the Occupation has begun! New regimes are in place on both Capitol and Regina. But each new government has resistance to overcome. On Regina, the Irians must contend with Ian Squire's hit-and-run tactics. And on Capitol, the re-cloned Dr Anstiss plots her revenge against Emperor Halifax I with the help of Chris Taylor and two rebellious Limited Intelligences. Meanwhile First Fleet struggles to contain the Irian invasion. Patrick Hyde knows that the Fleet's home star system lies under threat, but even with his newly-acquired knowledge of the "short cuts" in k-space he cannot hope to make a difference in the battle that is to come. But when Drift Ghost arrives accidentally at Norveau, a desperate plan is launched to bring into battle the most overlooked and unlikely class of ship ever built.