After reporting on the legendary exploits of aerial ace Commander Lucille von Shard, propagandist Kile Simlex returns to his scribe’s cubicle to waste away. A mysterious message claiming to come from von Shard is his one chance to escape, so Simlex journeys to Deighton – an Imperial world in open rebellion – to find the ace pilot a haunted shadow of her former self. With a xenos mercenary of unparalleled skill on the loose, and the tide of war incoming, Simlex must help her prepare for a deadly fight, or watch her suffer her final defeat.