The first shot fired in the battle of Platmore Field heralded one of the most profound catastrophes in human history and the most inexplicable scientific riddle in living memory.

Both of Jason Hunter's fusion engineering experts and more than a few of his technical specialists are at a loss to explain what is happening in Farmer's Hound Valley. Massive amounts of neutron radiation are pouring out of a destroyed fusion plant. The only problem is nobody can offer any plausible theory on how the reaction is being sustained with all the control equipment destroyed.

The answers may be in the memory banks of Jayce Hunter's communications mini-bot, but Echo is disabled on the surface of Platmore Five, deep inside the burning radioactive wreckage serving as a tomb for over a hundred victims of the Sarn Imperial cruiser Xelo and her devastating multi-megaton orbital attack.

It isn't until Sarn ground forces perform a barbaric amphibious landing on the north ridge overlooking Koo Springs that the stakes become clear. The battleship Argent and Second Marines are the only combat-ready surface command in the system. They are outnumbered four-to-one and the Sarn forces have both orbital and atmospheric fire support.

Hunter's strike force is facing even worse odds. Xelo's fighter support is being launched from a vanguard Imperial battle group within assault range of both populated planets in the Platmore system. Argent's group is once again out-tonned and out-gunned.

The stage is set for one of the most intense sea, surface, air and space battles in Skywatch history.

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