It's the 26th Century-an age when the children of humanity sail the known Galaxy on billowing tall ships powered by dark energy. The Terran Union, an alliance of worlds banded under the leadership of Earth for mutual trade and defense, just ended a disastrous conflict with one of its own: the Rus Federacy-a feudal society of genetically altered descendants of the former Russian Empire. When a mysterious alien power known as the Gree invade the worlds of the Union, it falls to Xia, the Jovian commander of the starship Black Meadow, to prepare her crew for the battle her superiors on Earth refuse to believe is coming. To help her in the coming fight, Xia recruits Alexander Ilyin, an enigmatic young officer of Russian descent, whose years living among the Rus forged him into a soldier and tactician without equal in the Vanguard. On the other side of the brewing conflict on the planet Jin is Kemiel, a highly respected military officer whose traumatic war experiences leads him to question his tyrannical government's new alliance with the Gree. Joining him in his brewing disenchantment with his people's leaders is his bodyguard Malea, a deadly warrior and champion of the oppressed women of her world. When Kemiel and Malea launch a violent rebellion to save Jin from disaster, Beryl, Kemiel's wife, must somehow find a way to keep her daughters alive. About David Silva David Scott Silva is a science-fiction novelist and poet. Born and raised in Los Angeles, David spent twenty years writing as an award-winning newspaper and magazine reporter, editor and columnist for the Los Angeles Times and Southland Publishing Co. David lives in Riverside California with his wife, Sharon Burton, and their animals: Australian shepherd, Gus, and Italian cat, Marley. In December 2013, David was diagnosed with terminal kidney cancer. He continues to write.