Kill and die - That was the battle tactic of the Tinkers, rough, vicious interplanetary invaders who would rather die than be captured alive. Controlling them in some way were The Six - an occult group that had learned how to duplicate human beings and use them as pawns in a grandiose plan to control interstellar space. Defending civilization against this onslaught were Rey Cottrell, a war consultant without even a fortress from which to fight his battle, and Captain Brixby, a lone idealist faced with mutiny when he tried to take his ship into the combat zone. Their chances seemed hopeless - especially since Cottrell suspected that there were supernatural forces involved that could take over the whole galaxy!
