Enter a world where Polite, Professional, and Prepared to Kill is more than a motto... Admiral Philip Guthrie is alive and kicking-despite an Imperial kill-order with his name on it. Now he's leading a rebel alliance against the oppressive Imperial forces. Or he would, if he could get his command ship-the derelict cruiser, Hope's Folly-functioning. If lack of crew and supplies isn't trouble enough, his assigned bodyguard turns out to be former Imperial assassin Rya Bennton-the daughter of his best friend and first commanding officer. A man whose death is on Philip's conscience. Rya Bennton has been in love with Philip Guthrie since she was a girl. But can her childhood fantasies survive an encounter with the hardened rebel leader who is now her commanding officer? Or will her determination to destroy the Empire put not only their mission, but their hearts and lives in jeopardy? It's an impossible mission on a derelict ship called HOPE'S FOLLY. A man who feels he can't love. A woman who believes she's unlovable. And an enemy who will stop at nothing to crush them both.