First contact with the Ximians was supposed to change everything. It did, but not the way everyone hoped: it tore Hai-Xang Hayden’s world apart.
Her mother died in the chaos, leaving her with a name stained by her wild activities and a future tangled in war.
The Consortium’s power is threatened, and factions are ready to back down to avoid a war that could consume entire star systems.
She will allow no peace talks. No easy answers. She has been pushed too far, so she is stepping into the fire with nothing left to lose.
In the shadows of broken cities and fading alliances, Hai-Xang must fight, not just to survive, but to take control of a war she never wanted.
When the bugs burn, they will remember her name.