Cirrus@Austlit

'Six years have passed since Padakan House was defeated in the skies above Earth. Their surrender is imminent and, under Frank Tomhines, the victorious Confederacy is about to restore democracy to its oppressed citizenry. But dissenters from within the Confederacy oppose both the surrender and the leadership of Frank Tomhines... and forces from outside have their own plans to keep the battle raging. Forced to take matters into his own hands, Frank begins to exploit weaknesses in his own democratic system to maintain control of a galaxy spiraling inexorably toward conflict.

'After six years of unsuccessful campaigning to outlaw his homeworld's chief export, Ross Tillman is pulled unwittingly back into the centre of events. When Frank offers Ross a chance to achieve his goals and protect his world, Ross is forced to make a difficult decision between two equally unpalatable moral outcomes. But there's even more at stake than Ross realises. It soon becomes clear just how much this decision is going to cost him... but only when it's far too late.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

'James Mawson has spent the last three months enmeshed in increasingly dirty schemes, his own days of glory long behind him. The execution of prisoners, including Ross Tillman, is the next item on the agenda. But when one of the doomed prisoners is the woman he loves, Mawson has no choice but to take a stand on principle, even though it could cost him everything.

'Ross and Edana desperately evade Padakan search parties, trying to survive even just one more day. They carry with them a secret that could bring the Padakan empire crumbling down... if they could just manage to get off-world with it.

'Meanwhile, things have come to a head on Earth. Tensions between Padakan House and the Confederacy are escalating quickly, and it seems only a matter of time before a shot is fired in anger. Frank Tomhines devises a plan to set things right. But his plan demands blood. A lot of blood.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.