Victory on Teluthia means nothing for Jax after he and his friends were yanked from the planet and imprisoned with bonds they can't explain. One excruciating loss after another besets them. But none hurts quite so much as Tranto's betrayal. It's not unfeasible that he has been working with their captors from the start. Rescue is attempted, but Jax doesn't realize he's aiding his captors. After being left to die, Jax wakes on a dying world to a life full of memories he desperately wants to forget. In a final, destructive showdown, with the count of the slain and wounded rising, Jax faces chilling ramifications for every possible outcome. Somehow, victory must be attained against an enemy that cannot be defeated by physical combat alone.