The best-selling Helmsman Saga continues in this all-new novel as Wilf Brim begins to pick up the pieces of his life after a trumped-up court martial deprived him of his beloved commission in the Imperial Fleet. Around him, the Second Great war continues apace, even as his beleaguered old Empire begins to turn the tide of conflict toward ultimate victory over The League of Dark Stars.
In the long months since the court-martial, he�d been firm with his old friends: He wanted neither kindness nor help, especially from Barbousse. Like so many of Brim�s friends, the Chief had been highly disconcerted about how things turned out in court; he�d actually threatened to resign from the Fleet to become Brim�s private retainer. But immediately following the trial, Brim had little idea what the future held for himself�much less Barbousse�and his old friend at least retained a promising career in the Imperial Fleet. Besides, at the time, the hoary old Empire needed Barbousse a lot more than he did.
Nevertheless, no matter how powerful his enemies, Brim�s friends well know his value to the war effort. Though Galactic Emperor Onrad temporarily lacks the power to restore Brim�s commission, he recognizes there are missions unique to Brim�s abilities that can as well be done by a civilian as by a uniformed service man�and soon Brim is in the thick of it, albeit somewhat illegally, improving the performance of an astonishing new astroplane, the Wakefield W-400.
However, his same powerful enemies quickly realize that even without a uniform, Brim is still every bit a threat to them�perhaps even more so�than he was previously. In a clever turn-about, they secretly mount their most deadly attack ever on his life, stranding him�unarmed�in a situation so outlandish and dangerous that he may rely only on his most basic instincts to merely survive.
Will this at last be the end of Wilf Brim and the Helmsman Saga? Read on...
