Vermilion Flames

"You say you don't want to know my final resting place? Then fight with me, and they can bury our bones together."

Kaya al Vardan joins the rebellion to unravel the truth behind her mother's death — while High Commander Silas Beckett fights to stop the same rebels from undermining the Republic. Their stories collide in this thrilling series starter.

From the lofty heights of New Olympia on Mars, the Republic promises peace and prosperity but delivers only terror and oppression. Dissidents are burned alive, and technology is heavily regulated. Despite living amongst the stars, progress and innovation are a memory of the past and humanity is slipping towards a new dark age. No moon or planet is free of flames and bloodshed, even as the Vermilion Coalition seeks to dismantle the Republic's oppressive regime.

On the desolate planes of a terraformed Mercury, Kaya al Vardan refuses to believe the official story of her mother's death. Intent on finding the truth, she ventures into the forbidden areas of her planet and runs afoul of the Republic's leaders. As punishment, Kaya is sent to New Olympia to study under the gaze of her oppressors and become one of them. There she unravels mysteries about her mother's life and faces a choice: fall in line or risk everything to take up her mother's mantle.

Silas Beckett, High Commander of the legendary Pandora Fleet, can feel his time running out. Fighting terrorists has been his life's mission, but his nemesis, Hex—leader of the Vermilion Coalition—still eludes him. As his failures mount and his allies abandon him, he has few chances left to bring Hex to justice. Can Silas secure peace for his family and for the entire solar system?

Vermilion Flames is the first book in the Midnight War series, a high-stakes saga set in a shattered solar system, where freedom can only be forged with blood and sacrifice.