Returning home after six years of fighting a senseless war, that had so far killed six million marines on a planet light year from home. Ivan, one of only a few who holds the Terran Cross for bravery, is recovering from his wounds, looking forward to seeing his parents and sister again. Little does he know; his father is dead. Murdered in the street, his mother grief stricken, starved to death, leaving only his sister. She lives in fear and poverty, scratching in the barren soil of Mars to exist. He was warned what to expect by a freighter captain, but never believed him. Already his life had been threatened, and it was clear to Ivan, to stay on Mars meant death, his own and his sisters.

He needs help, and looks towards the asteroids. The people he meets, many former Space Corps personnel, are like him, all reported dead, their families decimated and left to live in poverty. They are only a small group of people, less than a hundred and fifty, poorly armed and under equipped. All looked to him to lead a fight back against the Earl Ferdinand Ahlstrom of Elysium Mons, the most powerful ruler on Mars. But Ivan wanted more than a fight back, he wanted retribution and an end to the senseless slaughter on Mentra. Not a lot to ask for someone without money, men, or equipment. Somehow, he will do it, or die trying, because if he can't, he has nothing left to live for.