The Coalition of Planets, a loose confederation of twenty-eight star systems, containing fifty-nine planets, exists just below the North Equatorial pole, in the outer arm of the galaxy commonly called the Milky Way. The history of the Coalition had been so deeply rooted in conflict that the calm of the last seven years resembled a unique anomaly more than just a lull in hostilities. There were times, not so long ago, that the different species that lived in this small sector of the galaxy appeared to search for excuses to attack one another. The year 2721 was looked forward to as the year peace would finally flourish.

A mining accident, on a minor planet, led to the discovery of a mysterious race from the center of the galaxy, the Shaula. This ancient race left behind a fantastic device, the Gateway. Years of examination led to the discovery that this machine could transport people across the galaxy almost instantaneously. The technology spread quickly throughout the Coalition. At the same time, scientists continued to examine the device. Years of study led to another function of the machine. It functioned as a time machine, able to transport people through both time and space. After an initial successful experiment, the Shaula appeared at the Coalition research station. Claiming the use of the Gateway for time travel could lead to the disruption of what they termed the 'Great Cycle of Time', the Shaula destroyed that part of the machine capable of temporal transport.

A Matter of Time is the story of scientific exploration as well as criminal involvement with the goal of stealing the technology.