Nine years after the rescue at Atheron, a battle is coming. This battle can't be won and Raven West knows it. Worse, she's the only one who knows the terrain and tactics needed just to survive. She'll have to convince Major Richardson she can not only fight with seasoned soldiers, but lead them as well. Things begin to get out of hand when Jake Ryder shows up. War, profiteering, and greed are a bad mixture, Jake makes them a hobby. Betrayal sucks and can hurt like hell but sometimes you have to trust the people around you. Like a bad poker hand she'll have to make the best use of the people she was dealt. Are they worthy? Is it the smart thing to do? She'll have to find out along the way because time has run out for Raven.The cold emptiness of space weirds some people out. To some it's a prison, worse actually, it's an executioner standing over them waiting for that crack in the hull to take 'em out. Unlike them, Raven West loved it. In fact, out in the void was where she thrived. To her it represented freedom.Some people always get a little jittery for whatever reason when they're about to land. They avoid it if they can, opting instead for some orbiting Shipping Hub as a layover point to transfer cargo. Traders and haulers who don't want to deal with the hassle and physics of landing on a planet use them extensively. Raven, however, adored the challenge of bringing a big ship down just so, and easing into a slip with barely a rub.A voice crackled over her squawker."Ready for ID check."Gideon, her brother, sifted through the tags until he found a clean one and sent it. They chewed on it for a couple seconds."Thanks, Mrs. Star. Wing 2, Hangar Four, Bay 32."Raven West flashed a sly smile at her brother. The dispatcher clicked off.Banding together, several Shipping Consortiums opened a bunch of Hubs across this sector for their weak-of-heart pilots. In short, it's where they make their bread and butter. Raven wasn't timid. And besides, she and Gideon preferred steak.