The alliance between the human-dominated Coalition and the Hahtooshan Orthodoxy was born of convenience and mutual enemies, certainly not the result of trust or affection. But convenience takes a back seat to unsettled scores and long-standing prejudices as opponents on both sides try to sabotage the fragile truce, with Khusaaq, the mercenary officer who forced the alliance as their prime target. Now, as the Hahtooshans bring their doomsday fleet to bear on Poonda Five, a non-aligned planet caught in the middle, and the shocking identity of the prime saboteur is revealed, a new, and far more treacherous plot is exposed, one that could not only end the alliance, but throw the Orthodoxy into civil war. Author J. E. Bruce further develops a fascinating universe where humans have been forced to confront a hard and humbling truth: they aren't an only child. Worse, big brother also happens to be the galaxy's top-tier mercenary.