In hope of salvaging the embattled worlds of the renegade St. Ives Compact, Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao has launched a war that stretches far beyond the scope of military conquest. His mission: reunite St. Ives with his own Capellan Confederation. But after months of combat extend into years, the smash-and-destroy tactics have turned the crippled Compact into a bloody wasteland- and the Chancellor's costly victory into a virtual deathwatch. For the warriors of Hause Hiritsu, and for the Capellan and Compact soldiers on the 'Mech-shredded front lines Sun-Tzu's noble crusade has become a nightmare. And now, with his dream of glory slipping away, the Chancellor will make one last desperate gamble - a final solution to regain total control of a civil war exploding out of control. no matter what the cost.