The war between the Union and the Congregate continues on with each side looking for a way to gain the upper hand. The Congregate has the bigger military by far, while the Union has the advantage of fighting on their own turf and being supported by the Homo Eridanus, who are unparalleled in their fighter pilot abilities. So when the Homo Eridanus start to run up against pilots that can almost match their dig fighting skills they know that the balance of power is shifting. Searching for an explanation in the wreckage of a dogfight reveals that the Congregate has somehow managed to turn the completely peaceful Homo Quantus into fighter pilots. These Homo Quantus appear to be augmented with some kind of AI and wired directly into their fighters turning them into deadly weapons against their will. Of course, that is not something that Belisarius is going to stand by and let happen.

Once again Belisarius finds himself responsible for a tragedy being committed against his people as his actions started this war. He was the one who demonstrated the military advantages of the Homo Quantus and now the Congregate is doing the same in their own way. In fact, real story here is that the Homo Sapiens of the Congregate have come to realize that they are likely destined for extinction in a millennia or two as the other sub-species of humans are likely to out compete them on the galactic stage. That means they must take steps now to eliminate the competition before it is too late and they are willing to do just that. Of course that just makes those fighting on the side of the Union willing to take desperate steps as well and thus Belisarius finds himself planning a mission every bit as audacious as the one that started this series but this time with much deadlier consequences. This series has undergone a transition from an Ocean's Eleven style caper to much more expansive military sci-fi, but the characters remain the same. I must say this is one of the more interesting series out there with the various sub-species of humans being quite unique and yet somewhat absurd at the same time. I enjoyed this one, although it does end in a cliffhanger, so I am eagerly awaiting the next book.

T. Ryder Smith delivers another good performance for the audiobook version and his delivery as Stills always makes me laugh.