When a military corporation seizes a monopoly on force, capitalist incentives conflict with humanist values. The state is no more. Money can buy anyone anything, from a new slave to a new skin. Ethics Commission Interrogator Isa Ferris maintains moral conviction. She knows that without law, human beings are the worst animals. She's a crusader. The galaxy has forgotten about moral codes and right conduct. Isa will remind them about virtue. She will show what it means to believe in something. Guardian Defense Corporation Commandant Gabriel Theros uses force to measure merit. These corporate types know only pleasure. They forget at the edges of their awareness, blood must be spent to uphold their world. Experiencing unprecedented comfort has made them soft and foolish. They forget that death is real, and it can come for anyone. Ferris Freight owner Sybil Ferris rejects morality and embraces power. This is an age of individual supremacy. Her family money opens all doors, even those better left shut. She knows her goals, and she knows how to achieve them. No one will stop her. The new age of heroism has dawned. Will belief or success define it?