Valerian and laureline are exploring syrte, capital planet of a system of 1,000 worlds. their mission is to discover whether the syrtians could present a danger to earth. what they find is a decaying empire led by decadent aristocrats, a population ripe for revolution, and a mysterious caste of masked wise men who discreetly pull the strings from hidden fortresses. swept up by the winds of history, the agents of earth will have to choose a side...