According to a certain Scottish writer, there is a utopian, post-scarcity society of humanoid aliens and advanced artificial intelligences in our galaxy. Their culture is built upon the idea of total self-determination, but once in a while they come across other civilizations that do not share their credo of absolute freedom. Managing these hostile contacts can demand a moral flexibility that would be abhorrent to the average citizen, so they have certain special individuals to do it. But even they may fail when things get too weird. Those situations demand the greatest minds, known only in rumors collectively as the Interesting Times Gang.