Kelric's story as he leaves Coba all the way up through his becoming Imperator and taking his place in the Triad through the Lock. From the front flap of the Tor first edition: "Ascendant Sun is the direct sequel to the Nebula Award finalist The Last Hawk in which Kelric, heir to the Skolian Empire, crash-landed his fighter on the Restricted planet of Coba. He was imprisoned by the powerful mistresses of the great estates - women who, over time, fell in love with him. After eighteen years living in their gilded cage, Kelric finally made his escape. Now, in Ascendant Sun, Kelric returns to Skolian space, only to find the Empire in the control of the Allied forces of Earth - thanks to the upheaval of the Radiance War. With little more than the clothes on his back and his family imprisoned by the Allieds, Kelric is forced to take work on a merchant vessel. But when that vessel enters Euban space, Kelric finds his worst nightmare realized: he is auctioned as a slave "provider" to the cruel Aristos - who subject slaves to torture and sex to provide their ultimate telepathic emotional drug."
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