along the way. At the start of the narrative, Ronny Bronston's application for a position in the Commissariat of Interplanetary Affairs leads him through a series of interviews and instructions on his new role. He learns that his first assignment is to find Tommy Paine, a legendary individual believed to be behind a number of uprisings in the United Planets. The opening sections explore themes of identity, bureaucracy, and the challenges of maintaining cultural integrity amid expansion into space. The interaction between Ronny and the personnel officers, as well as his later partnership with Tog Lee Chang Chu, sets the stage for a blend of action and political satire as they embark on their mission to locate Paine amidst the chaos that follows the political upheaval on New Delos. (This is an automatically generated summary.)