Desperate to escape a life of poverty on his desolate home planet, Ryck Lysander enlists in the United Federation Marine Corps, hoping to make a better future for himself. However, Ryck soon discovers that the Corps is more than a means of escaping his former life as he is pushed beyond the very limits of his strength and willpower. From bootcamp brawls to skirmishes with galactic pirates, Ryck's new life presents him with unimaginable adventures and forces him to prove his mettle as he forges his new identity and fights to earn his place as one of the Brotherhood of Marines.**

Ryck has proven himself as a warrior, a fighter, and sometimes, in a peacetime Corps, that can get a Marine into trouble. Ryck’s temper gets the best of him, and because of that and with a heavy heart, he resigns his commission. As an old enemy comes a-calling, a new threat surfaces, and Ryck’s services are once again needed. Given a second chance, Ryck answers the call, determined to make good. This new threat, however, might be insurmountable, especially when Ryck has to deal with a personal crisis that could overcome him. **

As a lieutenant colonel, Ryck is given command of the Second Battalion, Third Marines, the Fuzos. Along with one other battalion, 2/3 is designated as a new assault battalion, with its own armor, artillery, and air assets. With the Marine Corps anxious to certify the resurfaced concept of integrated operations units, the battalion is thrown right into the fire. With his new command, Ryck has the opportunity to prove his ability to be a true combat leader and not just as a warrior. But with that opportunity come the risk that he cannot handle the manager aspect of command: the logistics, training, maintenance, admin, and support aspects that allow every unit to maximize its combat potential. As a sergeant and junior office, Ryck has ordered men to their death before, but with a battalion, he has to make even harder decisions with even greater reach, decisions that will mean life and death to those affected. A proven fighting Marine, Ryck still has to master every requirement of command—the tactical and the support—if he is going to keep his career alive in the Corps. **

Jasper van Ruiker is an elderly algae farmer, drafted into the local militia to defend his village from the invading Tenners. Lieutenant Castor “Mountie” Klocek is a Navy pilot, shot down during an air-to-ground mission. Lance Corporal Javier Julio Gregory Portillo and Sergeant Gary Go are Marine combat engineers, the only survivors of a deep-recon mission to destroy a bridge. All four are thrust together by chance, and they must learn to work together if they are going to survive, Jasper to search for his wife and grandchildren who fled their destroyed village, and the three servicemen to reach Federation forces far to the north. Surrounded by enemy troops, they have to decide what “duty” means. Do they attempt to avoid the enemy and exfiltrate to friendly territory to live and fight another day, or do they aggressively prosecute the war despite overwhelming odds? This novel is set in the United Federation Marine Corps universe, 200 years before the previous series. It is a stand-alone book that does not directly tie into any of the other UFMC novels. **