In hope of salvaging the embattled worlds of the renegade St. Ives Compact, Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao has launched a war that stretches far beyond the scope of military conquest. His mission: reunite St. Ives with his own Capellan Confederation. But after months of combat extend into years, the smash-and-destroy tactics have turned the crippled Compact into a bloody wasteland--and the Chancellor's costly victory into a virtual deathwatch.

For the warriors of house Hiritsu, and for the Capellan and Compact soldiers on the 'Mech-shredded frontlines Sun-Tzu's noble crusade has become a nightmare. And now, with his dream of glory slipping away, the Chancellor will make one last desperate gamble--a final solution to regain control of a civil war exploding out of control. No matter what the cost.