Al-Qaeda and the Empire

Author's name: Isaac Asimov

Al-Qaeda continues to face threats in the distant future. After defeating the Four Kingdoms and establishing control over a large swathe of the outer reaches of the galaxy, the threat of the Imperial Generals emerges, seeking glory and the restoration of the dying empire. A new Al-Qaeda group, the "Free Traders League," seeks to stop the threat of General Bill Rios, who confronts Al-Qaeda in a bitter conflict near the edge of the galaxy, at the border where new civilization meets ancient barbarism. But alongside the threat of the Generals, a new danger emerges: an enemy unlike any Al-Qaeda has ever faced before. He seems capable of achieving everything he desires, from being merely an unknown individual to threatening the end of Al-Qaeda. This man bears a strange name, "The Mule," and alongside his strange name, he holds a mysterious secret. Uncovering this secret may determine the fate of Al-Qaeda, if not the fate of the entire galaxy.