The revelations Mark Tudor unearthed on Tactus Ares were profound.

The Piraxians fell victim to the aggressive, expansionist Eridani Federation.

That same confederacy funded and facilitated the Lyrae. They made Stillness. And the Guild was complicit.

But how does one bring exposure to something the galaxy at large would rather forget? And how does an honorable man remove corruption when it’s gravity consumes all?

A plan is hatched in secret. Bold. Definitive. But Mark and his cohorts have suffered with one potentially fatal misgiving—that their enemy, the imperialist Gyl-Mareth, wasn’t plotting against them at the same time.

The tables always turn when it is least expected. And Mark Tudor may lose more than just his best friend, but his love, and potential legacy. Gyl-Mareth springs his trap. The Guild’s reformation is struck a fatal blow. And yet, a landslide can begin with a single loose rock.

In the desperate hours, with hope fading, Mark Tudor will become that rock.