First published 2024
Fifteen Terran months after being stranded in the 55 Tauri system, Colonel Roger Murphy and his Lost Soldiers have built an unlikely coalition. They've allied with space-dwelling Ktor descendants, freed R'bak's human population, and pushed Kulsian oppressors back to fortified cities. Now Murphy faces his greatest challenge yet. The twin stars approach periastron, triggering the Searing that brings Kulsian Harvester fleets to strip R'bak of biological resources. Murphy's plan centers on a captured Kulsian corvette that his team will replicate using Spindog autofab technology. But everything goes wrong at once. Murphy's multiple sclerosis worsens while he struggles to hide his condition. The corvettes prove nearly impossible to duplicate. Competitive Spindogs and Rock Hounds edge toward mutiny as they train together. Only ex-Navy pilot Kevin Bowman, now called "The Admiral," might forge these fractured groups into fighting units. Time runs out as the Harvester fleet arrives early and larger than ever before, intent on destroying Murphy's Lawless and their allies completely.
Genres: science-fiction, military-fiction, adventure, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: 55 Tauri System, R'bak
Period: Fifteen Terran Months
384 pages · Paperback · Baen