Captain Daniel Leary and cybrarian spy Adele Mundy think they've earned the quiet life. But when there is a rebellion in a distant, but politically critical, star system, high officials are determined to get the lifelong friends involved. They claim that only Leary and Mundy can prevent a war between the Republic of Cinnabar and its great rival, the Alliance of Free Stars. The conflict is political, but at the sharp end it means blazing warfare and cold-blooded murder. The odds in ships and guns are badly in the enemy's favour. Daniel, Adele, and the crew of the Princess Cecile will do everything humanly possible, but that may not be enough. And even if they succeed in battle, they can't be sure whether their employers really wanted them to win-or whether they even want them alive...