The Naplian Empire's war of expansion against the Grand Alliance has taken a turn for the worse.

With vital serjaum fuel reserves wiped out by a surprise attack, Admiral Daviont of the III Corps makes a long, desperate journey to the fringes of Terran space for a massive undeveloped source of serjaum-the Baedecker Star System. But his action does not go unnoticed. Their mortal enemies, the Briddarri, send their own task force to intercept.

At Baedecker Four, starfighter pilot and governor's son Taggart “Tag” Wester has his hands full steering clear of his wing commander's wrath. When an emergency call unearths a dangerous foe from the past, he's put to a test unlike any he's ever faced-one of courage, and leadership. The time for bucking the rules and chasing the horizon has come to an end.

Elden Selva is on a mission to restore power to the defeated Northern Alliance, by retrieving the remains of Truppen cybernetic soldiers. He has only his father's legacy as consul to drive him in his deceit, but the bond with a friend he thought he'd never see again complicates his motivations. What he finds on the dusty plains of Baedecker Four is far more than he anticipated, and the ensuing conflict changes both him and the woman he loves.

For the Truppen are not gone. The last remnants of the Northern Alliance await reactivation, quiet in the depths of space, and their release will trigger a new kind of conflict.

The invaders and defenders collide in a struggle that will not only shape their lives, but have dire consequences for the entire galaxy.

Empires will conquer, and kingdoms will fall. Heroes will rise and nightmares will be forged.

It all begins at Baedecker.