Shuos Jedao was freed. A long-dead general, preserved as a weapon by exotic technology, has taken over the body of the gifted young Captain Kel Cheris. Now General Kel Kiruev's fleet, racing to the Severed March to stop the invasion of a hostile civilization, has fallen under Jedao's rule. Only Lieutenant Colonel Kel Brezan is able to shake off the influence of the genius and psychopath Jedao. The renegade general seems determined to defend the Hexarchate, but can Kiruev - or Brezan - trust him? And how can you trust your command if your own rulers can easily destroy the entire fleet just to kill one person?