Esther and Noah Lysander are the twin children of General Ryck Lysander, Commandant of the Marine Corps, leader of the Evolution, and Chairman of the Federation. When they are told that their father and mother have been assassinated, they are both devastated. Cut adrift, they each decide to enlist in the Corps—but for different reasons. Esther feels it is her duty to carry on the family legacy, confident that she can excel and reach the top. Noah simply wants to earn his father’s pride, even if it is too late. As children of General Lysander, they are not “normal” recruits. Seniors and peers are well aware of their background, and the twins can’t escape the public eye. From under their father’s heavy shadow, the two have to discover his or her personal path in the Corps, even when that seems to pull them apart from each other.

Esther Lysander, the driven, professional Marine ever conscious of the heavy weight of her father’s legacy, is selected to become an officer. She has high goals for her career—very high goals—and she believes the best method to achieve success is to be a complete hard-ass, keeping emotions at bay. This outlook has resulted in some notable achievements, but at the cost of friends and her relationship with her twin brother Noah, a price she is willing to pay. First as an infantry platoon commander, then as a Recon Marine, Esther develops as a tactical commander, all the time putting her career first and foremost. As she grows into her billets, however, she begins to realize there is more to being a leader of Marines than simply the mission at hand. A true leader cannot consider her subordinates as mere chess pieces in her rise to the top, and a true Marine has to put the needs of the Corps and Federation above her own. (Author's Note: While this book is still focussed on the Marines, it is also a salute to past and present Coast Guards around the world. They risk so much for relatively little acclaim. Semper paratus!)

Noah Lysander, son of the former Marine Commandant and Chairman of the Federation, followed his twin sister in enlisting as a Marine. While Esther excelled, getting commissioned as an officer, Noah is not so driven, and when he proposes to Miriam, he makes a pledge to be a better husband and future parent than his own father had been.Reenlisting for armor, Noah becomes a crewman on an M1 Davis, the most powerful tank ever developed. He quickly finds out that despite nominal peace within the Federation, the deployment demands placed on his platoon are heavy, and his relationship with his growing family begins to suffer. As a Marine tanker, he’s a natural and has found his niche in the Corps, but at what cost?

Captain Esther Lysander, UFMC, is a combat Marine. Her new orders, however, are APOC, or “At the Pleasure of the Chairman,” and while she knows this type of assignment could be career-threatening, she feels duty-bound to accept them. There is no SOP for being APOC, except that it isn't combat-as-usual. Part spy, part soldier, part political window dressing, Esther has to adapt to everything from clandestine meetings with rebel forces, hostage rescues, and off-the-record sniper missions to being a courier between the chairman and other heads of state. There are many ways to serve the Federation, and being a combat Marine may not be the most dangerous one.

The demands of military service can be rough on loved ones, whether husband and wife or brother and sister, and that is no different for Esther and Noah Lysander, twin children of General Ryck Lysander, former Chairman of the United Federation. But blood still runs deep, and when Esther, now a battalion commander, finds herself suddenly without a sergeant major, she turns to family. Against all advice, she pulls strings to get Noah assigned to the battalion to assist her in preparing it for a routine deployment. “Routine” deployments don’t always remain routine for the Federation Marines and Navy, and soon, the battalion is thrust into action. It is one thing to deal with port visits and show-the-flag ceremonies, but when things get serious, can Esther and Noah lead the battalion in combat as the professional warriors they’ve become, or will their family ties affect their decisions?

This novelette ties up some loose ends of the Lysander era of the United Federation Marine Corps. Anyone is welcome to read it, of course, but it is primarily intended for those who’ve read either or both of the United Federation Marine Corps and/or the United Federation Marines’ Lysander Twins series. Unlike the other books in both series, there is no combat action in the story. Regardless, I hope it is a fitting conclusion before the UFMC universe continues a century in the future from where these two series left off.