A sophisticated society run by incorruptible AIs is prepared to do anything for their own survival.... With Amel's life hanging in the balance, Rire and Sevildom square off over their political differences. Sevolites have finally acknowledged the vulnerable but civilized people of the Reetion Confederacy as independent commoners. But the supposedly enlightened Reetions prove far from being the harmless pacifists they claim to be - the overt concern about Amel's mental health masks a deep fear for the security of their incorruptible AIs which are key for their survival. The Reetions want the answers Amel has locked deep inside his memory, and some of them want to change his personality medically. As the rising social hysteria sets the stage for diplomacy between the Reetions and Sevildom, Amel's Reetion-raised brother, Erien, is forced into realization that even a civilization based on total transparency can be twisted in its motives for pursuing the truth...prepared to stop at nothing to gain it.