Sanguiknights and their unholy monarchs rule the fringes of the Andromeda Galaxy.
Dhampyres and other unliving hunters prevent their expansion into core, human systems.
Vampire lords profit from the never-ending conflict, using their vassals to homestead uninhabited planets and cultivate literal cultures of human beings for consumption.
In the darkness between their stars, the noise stirs something to wake...
Yunuen and Sinne crew the pirate-killing ship Shodato. It's their privilege and their passion to thwart passing freighters flying fraudulent flags. But their way of life is put in jeopardy when they happen upon a mysterious craft and its deadly occupant: a Sanguiknight (who insists he's not) from Earth (--you know, that one made-up place).
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Laurel of Earth has a problem: he's been frozen for 50 extra years and he has no idea where his family has gone. Irritated by this minor inconvenience, he's forced to work with some humans (and some robots) to find out what's become of his mother (Sebara), her boy-toy (Mercenary), and their cohorts (Titania and Senka).
This is the second story in the "Vassal State" Saga. We shift from vampire drama to vampire science-fiction as our titular blood-suckers take their adventure to the stars.