Do as others do. Stay where others are. Unity is survival. It has been two months since Hwa
Young and her lancer squad turned on the Empire and joined the clanner rebellion at a terrible
cost. Hwa Young is desperate to rescue her dearest friend left in the Empire's clutches when
the squad fled but that goes against the orders of her commanding officer in the rebellion—who
is also her long-lost heart-mother Aera. Loyalties are strained and battle-lines blur when
an enemy lancer pilot reaches out to Hwa Young in secret revealing deeper forces at work both
in the Empire and among the clans. When a saboteur wrecks one of the lancers Hwa Young
wonders: is there anyone Empire or clan she can truly trust?
