A temporary lull in the war with the Cyclops gives humanity a chance to catch its breath. But instead of throwing the combined forces into mastering new technologies and creating more powerful weapons, the politicians of the Confederation unleash a civil war with the self-declared independent Lagos. This world has become home for the Demons—super-pilot modificants capable of resisting alien enemies. But the Demons are not alone now; with them are the inhabitants of Lagos, who see in them hope for the future. And the super-pilots themselves are no longer only fighters—they are also scouts and saboteurs, carrying the war on the wings of their “Kestrels” from the worlds of humans to the planets of cosmic aggressors.