“The Prism Alliance, once thought of as an unassailable beacon of hope in a harsh galaxy and proof that members of different alien races can not only coexist but work together for mutual benefit, is in the midst of a losing war. The marauding Keedron Empyrean, which has expanded through the conquest of other races, is bearing down hard on the beleaguered fleets of the Prism Naval Services. With diminishing manpower and resources, the Prism Alliance enacted the Last Chance Initiative in a desperate gambit to avoid a mass mandatory draft that could diminish industrial output by offering criminals the chance to serve in frontline positions in exchange for commuted sentences. Even while Last Chancers must clear both counseling and training before being approved for service, they are often viewed with contempt and distrust by a great many of their fellow soldiers they’re assigned to serve with. ​ Of these, the crew of the Prism Alliance Ship (PAS) Ackland is one of the few to be primarily composed of Last Chancers, including one of the rare captains among their ranks. The ship itself is antiquated and was scraped out of the bottom of a Prism Alliance ship boneyard and brought up to spec with parts salvaged from derelict ships. Redge, the leader of Strike Team Calba is eager for an opportunity to prove the skills of his team beyond training simulations but the crew is continually given long and uneventful patrols on the fringe of Prism Alliance space, well away from the ongoing war. Unknown to the crew, is that everything about their tour of duty has been according to the design of their captain as he prepares to enact a daring plan to change the course of the war with Redge and the members of Strike Team Calba as the tip of the spear.”