After a cataclysmic interstellar war that came very close to exterminating humanity, the Daybreak Republic has risen from the ashes and embarked upon a mission to unite hundreds of human colony worlds under its banner, in hopes of preventing a second and final conflict that will complete the destruction of the human race. But not everyone agrees that the empire's ends justify the means.

Leo Morningstar, a young naval cadet, had a bright and shining career ahead of him, until he was caught in a compromising position that could have severely embarrassed his superiors if it had become public. Unable to cashier him, his superiors chose instead to promote him - and send him into de facto exile as commander of a broken down ship, in a sector that has only just been incorporated into the empire and remains infested with pirates, rebels, and corrupt local politicians more interested in feathering their nests then improving the lives of their people. And for a man as ambitious as Leo, there are opportunities aplenty to make a name for himself.

They thought they were sending him into exile. But they might have exiled him to glory instead.