The Centauri Attack may have been contained, but not before widespread death and destruction crippled the Earth. Now Terra is in all-out war with Centauria and the colonies. Jack Mallory is on the front lines, leading a flight of Hawks into the battle zone. His mission is a desperate, last-ditch attempt to rescue Thomas Kane, whose Astral forces are being overrun under heavy fire. Meanwhile, Katja Emmes works behind the scenes to secure Terra's flank from the most dangerous of Centauria's attacks. The Astral Force must establish a bridgehead in Centauri territory, in preparation for a daring mission which could end the war. Emmes and Mallory find themselves an unlikely duo on the advance force, while Kane must grapple with his loyalty to Terra when he discovers what the true cost of this attack may be. The ultimate showdown between Terra and Centauria looms, and with it the fate of all humanity.