Fighting insurgents, something Capt. Keith Ridgely has done on a regular basis and has done so with the zeal of any patriotic solider, but after his latest mission in Zimbabwe, he gets reassigned to a place where careers go to die. With his prospects ruined, Ridgely must contemplate whether to remain in the armed forces or take the lucrative offer of becoming a hired gun. One path leads to loyalty, the other towards fortune. Only he can decide which way to choose.
In this thrilling short-story prelude to For One's Own Cause, follow Capt. Ridgely as he battles it out in the harsh terrains of southern Africa only to learn that he has to quit the army if he ever wants to see combat again.