Near death, Victor Barentsev—better known as Onyx—appoints Cain Innocent as the second person in his empire: Minister of Defense and Admiral of the First Fleet of the Union of Independent Worlds, thus placing enormous power and military force into the hands of his most trusted person. However, Cain is cleverly sidelined from real authority and sent to the Casablanca system, so that it can be defended against a possible invasion by the Confederation.
But despite every obstacle, Cain must continue Onyx’s work and protect humanity from a possible threat posed by the Others. A vague threat—one that no one believes in except him.
And meanwhile, politicians unleash a new phase of destructive space war.