<p><em>Maritinia is at the far edge of the Empire, a planet with little economic value in the Sire's sphere of influence.</em></p><p><em>And it's just rebelled.</em></p><p>The people of Maritinia believe the Empire will not care that they've broken free. But the Empire is built on the belief that if an insignificant planet can revolt, then other, more important planets might follow suit.</p><p>So the Empire sends an agent to Maritinia with a mission: assassinate and replace one of the conspirators, and do enough to sow discord that when the soldiers do land, any opposition will be quickly crushed.</p><p>Thus Jakob finds himself immersed in the inner circle of the madman who led the rebellion. A raw recruit with only his political officer—a separate consciousness inserted into his brain—to speak with, Jakob is out of his element as an operative. And while he falls deeper into the conspiracy, he begins to question everything: the despotic admiral in charge of the coup, his feelings for a native woman, and—most troublingly—whether he still agrees with the will of the Sire.</p>