Based on the legendary science-fiction series The Saga Of Seven Suns,Veiled Alliances is a revelatory prequel, in which long-term fans will discover the origin of the green priests on Theroc, the first Roamer skymining operations on a gas-giant planet, the discovery of the Klikiss robots entombed in an abandoned alien city, the initial Ildiran expedition to Earth, the rescue of the generation ship Burton and the tragedy that led to sinister breeding experiments. In this volume the human race begins its expansion into outer space, only to discover that for centuries a multitude of other races has already been interacting on a cosmic scale. Eleven exploratory ships carrying humans escaping a degenerating Earth are discovered by a more advanced space-faring civilization, the Ildaran Empire. The empire helps the refugees - by now the several-generations-later offspring of the original voyagers - settle suitable planets and sends diplomats with a few of them to Earth to establish trade and diplomatic relations. Meanwhile, both Terran and Ildaran authorities bring hidden agendas to their first-contact discussions, and as Earth attempts to become a player in this new arena, its ambassadors are thrust into a foreign world of alien life forms, backstabbing politics, bitter feuds, and a deadly struggle to become the supreme force in the universe.