Diamond Star

Del was a rock singer. He was also the renegade son of the Ruby Dynasty,which made his career choice less than respectable, and gave him more to worryabout than getting gigs and not getting cheated by recording companies, clubowners, or his agent. For one thing, the Ruby Dynasty ruled the SkolianImperialate, an interstellar Empire, which had recently had a war with anotherempire, the Eubian Concord. For another, Del was singing on Earth, which waspart of a third interstellar civilization, and one which had an uneasyrelationship with the Imperialate. Del undeniably had talent, and was rapidlyrising from an unknown fringe artist to stardom. But, with his life entangled inthe politics of three interstellar civilizations, whether he wanted that or not,talent might not be enough. And that factor might have much more effect than hismusic on the lives of trillions of people on the thousands of inhabited worldsacross the galaxy.