The beacon to elsewhere

"The Beacon to Elsewhere" by James H. Schmitz is a science fiction story where the fate of interstellar society hangs in the balance after the theft of Ym-400, a substance capable of warping space and time. Lieutenant Frank Dowland, a determined officer from the Interstellar Police Authority, is thrust into a dangerous investigation to recover the stolen element and uncover a web of conspiracies. Along the way he receives urgent news about the transport hijacking that starts his mission. His pursuit leads him through layers of deception, secret experiments carried out by the Trelawney family and conflicts, with rebel forces and strange alien groups seeking to use Ym-400 for their own purposes.