A thrilling sci-fi western and the first in a genre- and mind-bending series bearing shades of Old Man’s War, The Murderbot Diaries, and The Monkey Wrench Gang. A high-stakes chase across the American West. A device that could change the world. Three unlikely allies thrown together by fate. In the not so distant future, six mega corporations and their privatized armies have supplanted the American government. They compete for resources, market position, and the ultimate long game prize of colonizing the stars. Chevy Cole left her conservative family behind for life as a Launch Tech marine and never looked back, proud of her role as a first-into-the-fire grunt, even if she were well below the revered female super soldiers known as Aces. When rumors spread that one of the Big Six has created a fusion device that would put the stars within reach, all-out war looms. After the catastrophic failed siege of a Nevada mine leaves most of her comrades dead, Chevy encounters a dying Ace in possession of a mysterious package and a surprise: this Ace is a man. Joined by Dolon, an aging mercenary "phantom" sent by Launch Tech to transport the package to an Idaho safehouse, the three form an uneasy alliance. As they try to outrun a rival corporation’s ruthless agents across the desert in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse, Chevy realizes that their survival may also determine who controls the future. But when greed is the only rule of law, who can she trust?