Disguised as Joseph Andalous, Reginald Bull has returned to the capital Orbana from the TSUBEIL’S REFUGE orbital station. The cell activator bearer constantly feels the alleged Trox Sälsinde near him, but he wants his independent life back. However, Sälsinde, who describes himself as stardust, as an explosion of time, wants to collect Bull for FENERIK, as a Quintarch of the Chaoporter.

Meanwhile, the Thakan Santu Potomp meets Wilbart Kortnoy, the director of the State Welfare Service (SWS). The two men discuss the current situation on Lepso, as Potomp tells the other not to interfere in his affairs. The two most powerful figures in the world of free trade worked hand in hand on a great deal, but by no means on all points. Because of this, the bodyguards of the two are also very close by. On the one hand the Haluter Spavo Rud, who protects the Thakan, on the other hand the gigantic Mic, who protects the SWS director with his saber.

Along with Uecker London and the Báalol Munaur, Bull meets with the Soul Cage seller. This is camouflaged behind a high-quality protective screen. The stranger explains that he wants to examine Andalous-Bull first before revealing the artifact. Bull agrees to it out of necessity. To pass the time, he visits the Tropina, where the thoughts of other individuals can be experienced via an emtio-synchro helmet. There, Bull experiences a virtual mental show that disgusts him. Later, in his hotel room, he has nightmares. Finally, Sälsinde appears and explains that the seller of the artifact is a Yodore. Knowing this, he leaves Bull alone again.

The next day Bull, London and Munaur fly to another meeting with the seller. There, however, they are attacked by a Haluter; it is Rud. Mic quickly rushes to their aid and they escape aboard his glider, dubbed the DIVA. The seller found out about the attack over the radio and cut off contact. As a result, they decide to find out his whereabouts through an info dealer, namely Maja Sugan.

Before they can get in touch with Sugan, Bull, London and Mic - Munaur is left behind - are put through a test. Then they reach the mansion of the info dealer. Sugan plans to provide Andalous-Bull with the location of the seller's spacecraft within two days. First she gives him a white techno cat named Pearl as a present. Through her, Sugan will contact Bull again. As the DIVA departs, Mic announces that Sugan is his daughter.

While waiting, Bull is haunted by Sälsinde, but he can free himself from his mind. Eventually, Pearl tells him where to find the seller's spaceship. The next step is the Gavivi spaceport on the continent of Passal, located at the south pole of Lepso. The minor globe TOM SIEGMANN is parked there. It is a sloop of the Terran explorer ship THOMAS SIEGMANN, which is considered lost at the Yodor Sphere. The sloop is empty, and there are signs of an attack.

Back at Sugan, she reveals that she also passed the information on to the Thakan, who must have kidnapped the seller in order to get the artifact for himself. Now it is time to invade the Steel Fortress, the stronghold of the Thakan. Sugan joins the group with her Ertruser bodyguard Dranea, and the Báalol Munaur also returns. Their chances are good, because the information dealer has made sure in advance that they can get in and out of the Steel Fortress safely. At first everything goes sideways and they free a prisoner named Iguchu. Shortly thereafter, the saleswoman is freed, it is the Yodore Vyna Nachgrund. The subsequent escape over a transmitter only succeeds for London and Iguchu. Then the Haluter Rud appears and destroys the device.

Despite everything, they manage to escape from the Steel Fortress, because suddenly the Haluter goes mad and turns against his own people. The Yodore explains that the Haluter had earlier breached her temporal shield when she was kidnapped. This has now triggered perception disorders in Rud, which will probably continue for some time.

Back aboard the Minor Globe, Nachgrund presents the Soul Cage. Suddenly, Mic, who realized some time ago that Andalous is actually Bull, takes on a menacing attitude. The cell activator bearer makes a deal with him, promising that he will try to get the New USO to release Lepsonic prisoners. Mic is happy with that and withdraws.

Next, the Yodore attaches Bull to the soul cage via a hood. He immediately feels an extremely strong mental attack and loses consciousness. Bull wakes up to find himself in the medical station aboard the VASE OF STEEL ROSES. London had taken him there and now leads Bull to the dying Yodore. Nachgrund explains that she was one of many Yodorian trappers who swarmed out to hunt down and eliminate Chaos agents in the Milky Way. Now Sälsinde is trapped in the soul cage. Previously, Nachgrund had perceived the Chaos agent as a silvery cloud around Bull's head. This is now gone. The Yodore can no longer answer any further questions because she dies from wounds taken in the battles.

It is January 1st of the new year and London proposes to fly to Pspopta for the Galactic Conference. But Bull, who no longer hears the star call that has tormented him for months, first needs a break and refuses. Instead, he requests a radio link to Lord Admiral Monkey.