A Martian cadet dreams of glory. Graduation sends Robin not to the skies but to the meat-grinder on Charon, a frozen moon where the Republic and the Federation trade bodies for ground. Outgunned by heavy armor and buried under bad odds, Robin survives his first ambush by wit, nerve, and a secret the war wasn't meant to awaken: a cracked gene-lock that begins to rewrite him. As his squad bleeds for a forgotten outpost and command plays chess with human lives, Robin must decide what he's willing to become?weapon, hero, or casualty?before the next wave hits. The enemy is advancing. The clock is already at zero.
