After successfully completing their mission to rescue Marshal Augustin Lucerne's daughter, Astra, the crew of the Wolf's Claw are enjoying some well-deserved rest?all, that is, except Blackhawk. The gun-for-hire cannot escape Lucerne's relentless pleas for help against growing imperial control in the Far Stars. While Blackhawk deeply respects his friend, he fears that the power Lucerne offers will lead him back to his old, dark ways.

His resistance crumbles, however, when Lucerne presents evidence that the imperial governor has been manipulating the conflicts in the Far Stars. Convinced of the deadly danger of imperial domination, Blackhawk and his crew board the Wolf's Claw once more and set out to gather intelligence on the Empire's movements?the proof Lucerne needs to unite the fractured and feuding worlds of the Far Stars into a single power bloc capable of resisting imperial aggression. But deep in the sparsely populated territory of the Far Stars, he discovers that the imperial governor's machinations are far reaching?and threaten the independence of every world this side of the Void.

A man seemingly running from himself, Blackhawk is beginning to realize he can no longer remain a prisoner of his own past while the future of the Far Stars is in jeopardy.

Jay Allan is a former investor and the author of the Crimson Worlds series and the first two books in the Far Stars series, Shadow of Empire and Enemy in the Dark. When not writing, he enjoys traveling, running, hiking, and reading. He loves hearing from readers and always answers e-mails. He currently lives in New York City.