Major Tyler Stone stands at the precipice of greatness. After years of faithful service to the Republic, everything seems to be coming together--a promotion, an engagement to a beautiful (and powerful) woman, and the restoration of his traditional family name promise to restore his family to its long lost place among Alpha Humana's elite. But his world suddenly begins to crumble when deceit and defeat bring him face to face with the enemy--an enemy that turns his perception of the galaxy on its ear, challenging his understanding of his civilization and his own identity. Now Stone must choose between duty and honor as he struggles to understand the nature of the war the Humani have been waging for so many generations.