A directive, an army, and a shattered society... For a year, Richard Braxton has worked with the Empire of America and the Shield and Sword Alliance against the rising armies of Malevocrax. Though they relentlessly gained ground, the hybrids were slaughtered by the millions. All was well in Richard's ranks. Now Malevocrax has stirred, and a new plan is in motion to bring about a nation's end and destroy Richard from the inside out. If he is to endure, he will have to confront the truth of his past and question all that he believes about idealism, failure, and his place in the world.