Master and Commander in space! Brilliant and brave starship captain Daniel Leary and ace spy Adele Mundy confront a pirate plot and once again save the Republic of Cinnabar despite itself.

#8 in the best-selling RCN military science fiction series.

Master and Commander to the stars. Captain Daniel Leary and master spy Adele Mundy must once again save the Cinnabar Republic despite itself. The jackals are moving in! The barbarians of the outer reaches intend to play both Cinnabar and Cinnabar’s sworn enemy, the totalitarian Alliance, against each other and bring both empires down like an enormous house of cards. The barbarian pirates have commandeered and hot-rodded starships that can outmaneuver even Captain Leary’s trusty RCN corvette. But speed and tech don’t count for everything. The Princess Cecile has the incomparable Daniel Leary and his trusted aide and friend Adele Mundy in command. Faced with such grit, bravery and intelligent misdirection the pirates might find they’ve bitten off more than they can chew.

About David Drake’s “RCN” series:
“[R]ousing old-fashioned space opera.” –Publishers Weekly on the “RCN” series.

“The fun is in the telling, and Mr. Drake has a strong voice. I want more!” –Philadelphia Weekly Press

“[S]pace opera is alive and well. This series is getting better as the author goes along…character development combined with first-rate action and memorable world designs.” –SFReader.com

About David Drake:
“[P]rose as cold and hard s the metal alloy of a tank…rivals Crane and Remarque…” – Chicago Sun-Times

“Drake couldn’t write a bad action scene at gunpoint.” – Booklist