Colonel Nick Tanner set out months ago from Earth to find the Umani, possibly Earth's only hope for salvation. Reaching the planet known as Raxo brought revelations he still cannot wrap his head around, and now he's on his way home. Things aren't the same. Not by a long shot. Lies beget more lies, until the truth is too extreme to believe. Michael Tanner has struggled since his rescue from his lifelong prison in New Mexico to find his place in his new world. He still questions his past, his existence, and the man he is becoming. Logically, he understands he is free to think, speak, and do whatever he chooses. He is free to learn and absorbs information as fast as possible. He has made good friends and found those he can call family. Every day is a stark juxtaposition to the first twenty-five years of his existence. It wasn't a life. Jacqueline Anderson is a soldier, raised with a hatred for the Areth. Her father questioned the lies from the beginning, and before his death, he gave her to Phoenix to protect her. They taught her how to protect herself. She challenges Michael, moves him, and confuses him. She wants more from him, more than he knows how to give. She wants to understand the haunting shadows behind his eyes? wants to understand the scars that mark his body. The battle to survive comes to a crescendo, and Michael will finally discover the man he is meant to be. The enemy is now clear, and there is no turning back. It's time to take back Earth. There is no other choice.