The Five Star Stories (The Five Star Stories #10)

Across the five star-systems known as the "Joker Systems," kingdoms dot the heavens like stars. Knights, known as "Headliners," control giant robots called Mortar Heads to protect the sanctity of each kingdom. Bound to the knights are the fatimas, fabricated humanoids who possess expanded mental abilities that make it possible for Headliners to control their robotic armor. The story shifts to the Kastenpo region on the planet Both, a rather desolate mining area along the Dragon Road and a training-cum-vacation spot for Headliners, their fatimas, groupies, etc. The events center around the region's newest visitor, the upstanding cleric/knight Muse Van Reyback, and its most notorious resident, the renegade Dougulus Kaien.