Riots blaze in the streets of Cinnabar, threatening not only the
Government but the Republic of Cinnabar Navy. The forces of the
tyrannical Alliance are probing outnumbered Cinnabar garrisons among the
distant stars, using guile and treachery as well as brute strength.
Lt. Daniel Leary has earned promotion, but politics have put him under
an officer whose paranoia has already led him to execute men out of
hand. Signals Officer Adele Mundy has repeatedly proved her loyalty as
Cinnabar's most accomplished intelligence agent, but now elements within
the Republic want to draw her into a conspiracy like the one that led to
her rich and powerful family's massacre.
Leary and Mundy must face riot-torn streets, spies in an outlying base,
and an anarchic planet where violence is the only law. Only if they
succeed at every stage will they reach the final test: a space battle
against an overwhelming Alliance force. Even for Daniel Leary it will be
a difficult fight to win, and almost impossible to survive.
