Mia Verick's upbringing was . . . unusual. Most young women raised in the Kerrick Confederacy of Aligned Planets go to school. Mia had daily firearms practice, tactical exercises, and pilot training. She never cared about her strange life, only about living up to the expectations of her father. His mysterious job often takes him away on secret missions, leaving her to self-training until the day she can surpass him. Now she'll never get the chance. When a messenger from the city arrives, Mia's not ready for the harsh truth. Her father has died under classified circumstances. No one will tell her the truth, leaving her with only one option. Can she ferret out the truth about her father's death by herself? Her audacious plan takes her far from home to the world's largest city. Betrayals push her to an even more surprising place. The most elite fighter training school in the KCAP is the only place she can earn the influence she needs to learn the truth about her father. Before that, she'll need to survive a true nest of vipers: a private military academy. Can a girl taught to shoot first and ask questions later learn to operate in a dangerous environment where everyone is friend and foe?