The colonial skirmishes on Venus have exploded into all-out ground war. While Ishtar's war machine drives relentlessly into Aphrodian territory, the Aphrodian capital shudders under a rain of missiles and a wave of panic-fed factional violence. With the Aphrodian government now under control of the Mesada-- a fanatic political/spiritual movement--Ken Seno discovers that his newfound war hero status means little to Mesadan stormtroopers, who consider his backtalk as a one-way ticket to a jail cell...or an intensive care ward!