A long time ago, a determined young woman escaped the despair of her homeworld, turning herself into one of the galaxy's best martial artists, Ebony Strike.

Decades later, the people of her homeworld have tracked her down. They need money and, in order to get that money, they need the old Ebony Strike back. But Ebony has moved on since that time. She is now Xin Dell, a respected government security trainer. And what her people are asking of her is insane: to participate in a corrupt official's underground fight tournament...and win. Nothing less will do.

To Ebony, it means training a body that's out of shape, honing disused skills, spending her own time, effort and money, for a planet she's all but forgotten. But, faced with the alternative-the death of thousands on her world-does she have a choice?

Ebony needs to be focused and ruthless. She needs to win the tournament. Little does she know that she'll end up losing her heart.