Combat vets David Sherman and Dan Cragg know firsthand the courage,
sacrifice, and hell of war--and their experiences have made the popular
Starfist novels thrill rides of the highest order. Now the explosive
action continues on the remote planet Ravenette, where the Marines of
the Confederation's 34th Fleet Initial Strike Team (FIST) find
themselves up against a full-fledged rebellion-and a lethally loose
cannon of a commanding officer.
Desperate to thwart unrelenting aliens and their quest to obliterate
humankind, The Confederation has beefed up its defenses. But to the
citizens on the outer edges of Human Space around Ravenette--unaware
that a deadly enemy even exists--the government's move seems oppressive,
and ten planets have responded with a war of secession.
In touch-and-go battles with the seceding planets, the 34th FIST has
emerged battered but unbowed, refusing to give up . . . even while under
the command of a fanatical general. The enemy determined to strike, a
new mission must be carried out, though the troops will likely return in
body bags.
Should Ensign Charlie Bass and his Marines somehow survive the
nightmarishly difficult amphibious landing, they can expect to be
outmanned, outgunned, and out-armored in a fierce duel against fresh
soldiers. But like any Marine worth his salt, Bass knows there's only
one way to go when facing impossible odds: on the offense with all guns
firing. There's no other choice--because if life was easy, there'd be no
need to send in the Marines.
