The war for independence is on! Parliament has rejected the cease-fire agreement and has declared war on the colonies. Terra is the first to fall, and the torrents are sent running for their lives. The Collective Unified Forces have declared open season on all colonists as they swing a heavy fist across the four fringe worlds. The fight for independence is doomed unless the torrent marshals can turn the odds back in their favor. To stave off defeat, Reyne must reclaim a colony once destroyed by a deadly blight, and Critch must strike at the very heart of the Collective. The fringe has the numbers, but the Collective has the technology and the weapons. The torrents will have to sacrifice everything to defeat the CUF, and even then, it may not be enough. Can the torrents survive long enough to win their freedom before the CUF bombs every colony into oblivion?