We left Steven and his ship dying, hidden away on a hostile planet and the crew at the mercy of an Alien Princess. Stuck in the middle of imperial space, they face some hard choices and a long lonely road home. The choices that Charlie makes can either make or break their attempt at escape. Home on Earth tension rises as the crews go weeks then months without any communication. In the Federation, The Grand Commander is becoming frantic with the loss of his new ship designer while Jean Wilson finds herself on the bridge of a new fleet carrier. To her horror, she discovers that it has been designed by the man whose heart she broke just months before. The struggle for survival and to get home takes many turns and twists. The Empire has technology capable of detecting the ships even when cloaked and vast resources at its disposal. When a data mining expert and a crew of trained assassins are put on their trail, their chances of surviving become slimmer.

This is the story of what happened when the human battlegroup that is tasked with joining up with Federation forces, reaches the premier training space station Federation One. It infills the story of the Sir William Wallace, and the drama there that unfolded when some of Stevens crew, joined the Captain for dinner. We also meet some of the characters that were prominent in some of the earlier novels and of course, get to know some of the aliens a little better. In this book we also get to know the Ortea and the Dent, and the twists and turns that came to pass during the negotiations, and also Steven and Komoru’s part in them. This is not a book for readers who have not read the rest of the series.

Book three in the Steven Gordon series takes us in to the heart of the Modloch Empire. Humanity quickly becomes ensnared by galactic politics. The people of Earth have to choose a single representative and the President of the United States is elected. He leaves his office and rushes to the aid of the fleet, now trapped within the Modloch Emperor’s web. He picks up the UK King and his new wife on route, and together they begin a campaign to win the heart and minds of the Modloch Emperor and his people. Humanity is at last coming of age, but its enemies have not forgotten the devastating losses inflicted against them. Steven, Komoru and their crews find themselves drawn into the middle of the unfolding drama. At the twelfth hour, they are all that stands between humanity and extinction.