Richard and Karen return to Earth.... and Paranak comes with them Citadel - a treasured inheritance - Obsidian black, still larger now, yet somehow smaller, out in the open but hidden once again. Old friendships renewed, bonds stronger than life. Young empowerment in peril. The power of the Medic, rejuvenation and commitment... the morality of curing. Planetary binocular vision, the power of light and the protective obscurity of a multitude of the smallest water droplets. The power of fur and claw and human frailties (both real and pretended). The end of the end of one ancient war and the beginning of the next. Two craters - one older than the hills, one newer than the fall-out surrounding it, both mysterious, misleading, mistaken, misused. Amateur assassins and alien physiology. Frontier Post to Outpost: high stakes and extreme measures. The cold truth of the Narlavs in the Moon. The warmth of a boki Nical, humming in your arms. A concealed, new-carved cavern and a historic hangar renovated. The vetting of a veteran, company benefits and loyalty. Submarine power and Narlav technology - a manned return to the Moon, but not to Earth. Lunar marathons and laser messages. Deceptive prisoners and optimum timing. Clarity in the midst of the storm. Understanding too late and too little. Shifts of moods and allegiances. An aunt on ice, Medic limitations. Flying drill-bits and water-based reality potions. Ultimate girl-power, green lasers, smoke-snow and mirrors-screens.