James Shelley has left his lover, Delphi, and his companion-in-arms, Jayne Vasquez, with a fortune acquired from a fallen oligarch. They believe him to be dead, and he doesn't try to set the record straight. His long-running question has been answered: There are other soldiers like him who have served the purposes of the Red-and he has accepted his place among them. As a soldier of the Red he pursues covert missions designed to nudge history away from existential threats-but that doesn't mean the world is growing more orderly. It's only in the froth of a "managed chaos" that human potential can grow and thrive. Shelley's missions eventually take him into orbit-and into conflict with those he loves-Delphi and Jaynie-who are determined to escape the influence of the Red.

As a soldier of the Red who pursues covert missions designed to nudge history away from existential threats, James Shelley is taken into orbit where he must make a difficult choice when he falls into conflict with those he loves, his former lover, Delphi and his companion-in-arms, Jayne Vasquez.