Expelled, canned, dismissed, washed-out…loser. Those were Joseph Mack Johnson’s thoughts while jogging to the spaceport to catch a ride to the Initial Insertion Unit where he had accepted an enlistment. Even the Denebola Space Fleet Academy expulsion board was shocked…first in, last out; and abandonedwhen an attack failed. An I.I.U. was a death sentence.

But what bothered Joe more than his survival odds: could he trust Fleet at all? He discovered evidence the Illuminati were making deals with the Slith on losses…before battles were even fought! Worse, it looked like they had agreed to let the Slith attack Adhara Four; where his parents were living.

Approaching the space port, Joe organized his tasks: survive the I.I.U.; flip the tables if pre-selected to die;and arm his parents and the Adhara Four colonists. Joe sighed. He’d start with staying alive. But if he was being setup to die—he wasn’t going down alone!