Earl was on the planet Paiyar researching old books unsuccessfully looking for information about Earth when he was accosted
by a beautiful young woman from the House of Aihult – Paiyar was one Tubb’s Renaissance Italy-family ruled vendetta ridden. The woman, Zenya, had been sent by her grandfather, the prince of that house, Aihult Chan Parect to fetch Earl. Thinking it a bad idea but enticed by hints her grandfather might have some clue to Earth he went with her. At the Aihult house he met Zenya’s cousin Zavor who tried to provoke him to a knife fight (Zavor was a bit of a sadist) but Earl gracefully evaded Zavor’s attempts. When Chan Parect arrived, Earl realized that he was dangerously insane but in a paranoid way that allowed him to maintain control. Later, another granddaughter, Lisa, came to Earl’s room and tried to talk him into killing Chan Parect. Earl shrewdly did not agree but to avoid angering her said he must know more. The next day the monks of the church at the field were beaten up and one taken to be sold for slavery. Earl had Zenya pawn her jewelry to raise money to save them. After that at Zenya’s insistence they became lovers (Zenya was a little insane as well).
When Earl came back to the Aihult compound he found Zavor armed in his room. He tried again to avoid killing him but Zavor had a laser and Dumarest had to kill him. The laser had been primed to explode leading Earl to suspect that someone intended Zavor to die also. Earl was
attacked by a guard and lost consciouness. He awoke healed. Chan Parect called him, told him Earl was in his debt, that he knew the Cyclan sought him and that he did not care but would use that ort fact to control Earl if need be. He wanted Earl to find and retrieve the son who had wandered away as a comfort in his declining days and to inherit. He told Earl he was going to Chard, and said that Zenya would accompany him, and that there was a device planted on his body that would alert the Cyclan to his location should he try to run.
With the connivance of the ship captain, Branchard, Earl pretended to be a military lord from the
mercenary world of Samalle. Chard was on the brink of war between later settlers and the the Ayutha, indigenous tribespeople, over alleged massacres by the later of the former. When the Chard authorities heard who Earl was supposed to be, their military chief (Colonel Paran – formerly police chief) called Earl and asked for help. Earl told Branchard to look for Chan Parect’s son , told Zenya to behave as a military wife should and then went to meet Col. Paran and his council.
Several villages had apparently been brutally attacked. The Chardians retaliated against the Ayutha. The second time they attacked the Ayutha their troops had been killed. The Chardians raised lofios, a tree that produced a valuable exportable oil and fragrance. The Ayutha, often worked for them. Earl took commission as Field Marshall of Chard’s forces and inspected the destroyed village. There was savage carnage by conventional weapons and tools like axes and knives but no sign of the Ayutha or their dead. He decided to contact the Ayutha. Meanwhile, another village fell under attack. Deploying some soldiers in anti-grav rafts Earl again found no trace of the Ayutha. Surprisingly, Colonel Paran’s son, Earl’s communications attache, suddenly tried to attack and kill Earl. Later, the boy did not remember the incident. Based on that and the inexplicable loss of a raft last seen firing on his own men, Earl concluded a madness inducing gas was being used and the people were killing themselves. But how could the Ayutha deliver the gas? Earl managed to march a detachment into Ayutha territory, hold a parley with the Ayutha elders (who he found were telepathic) and arrange a truce. The Ayutha denied any guilt and only claimed to have fought the invading force.
Earl cleared a strip of land at the edge of the Lofios plantation region, and posted observers along it. With the next attack, he proved that Ayutha had not crossed the zone to the Lofios from their villages in the hills and therefore were innocent. Meanwhile, a group of Ayutha attacked with firebombs. Earl demanded to be taken to the rebel Ayutha leader. This turned out to be Chan Parect’s son, Salek. Meeting him, Earl inexplicably tried to murder him. Chan Parect had apparently prepared Earl with the necessary subliminal conditioning. Paranoid, he wanted Salek dead, not found. Earl, regaining self control, returned with Salek and reported to the council that some Lofios were mutated, releasing a hallucinatory and dangerous gas causing the villagers to kill each other. Lisa (since arrived) also had a code word to force Earl to surrender himself to the Cyclan. She demonstrated it, but that rendered it thereafter ineffective. Incensed she attacked Earl with poisoned fingernails and Zenya killed her.
Colonel Paran confessed he knew Earl was not from Samalle but thought he seemed competent and let him continue. Salek told Earl of the details of the brightest stars visible from Earth and that the Cyclan knew Earth's location, and Earl, thanking him, left to resume his lonely journey in search of Earth.