Kay has no official family, no official name, just a gene line designation and a crappy future thanks to the Nassien Research Division. As the sole Terran genetic experiment in a Novan Marine outfit, her life is a never-ending conflict. When her Novan ship comes under attack from unknown assailants, she becomes a part of the dreaded Black March and an aide to the enigmatic Lieutenant Colonel Nassien. As the only world she's ever known crumbles around...