Across the Empire of Humanity, the first war in a thousand years is brewing.
On the factory planet of Breydablik, Bragya is just trying to keep her brothers safe and build a better life. But when the Ollsons attack the shipment from Gjoll, there's no work and no credits. Buried in an increasingly desperate population, the simmering discontent boils over and sets her on a collision course with gods.
Erick didn't order the attack at Gjoll Station, and if he can't prove it, then civil war will kill trillions. He must balance secrecy with a growing circle of trust, and needs all the help he can get when he gets his first look at his true enemy.
Bryn, Erick's daughter and the heir to the Ollson Executorship, hunts spies while trying to prepare for war. But with an Admiralty one step from a coup and no one to back her up, she reaches out to an old friend and an alliance that might save her people.
Will humanity find a path to peace, or choose the iron taste of blood?