Hold Fast Through the Fire

The Near-Earth Orbital Guard (Neo-G)—inspired by the
real-life mission of the Coast Guard—patrols and protects the solar system. Now
the crew of Zuma’s Ghost must contend with personnel changes and a
powerful cabal hellbent on dominating the trade lanes in this fast-paced, action-packed
follow-up to A Pale Light in the Black.

Zuma’s Ghost has won the Boarding Games for the
second straight year. The crew—led by the unparalleled ability of Jenks in the
cage, the brilliant pairing of Ma and Max in the pilot seats, the technical
savvy of Sapphi, and the sword skills of Tamago and Rosa—has all come together
to form an unstoppable team. Until it all comes apart.

Their commander and Master Chief are both retiring. Which
means Jenks is getting promoted, a new commander is joining them, and a
fresh-faced spacer is arriving to shake up their perfect dynamics. And while
not being able to threepeat is on their minds, the more important thing is how
they’re going to fulfill their mission in the black.

After a plea deal transforms a twenty-year ore-mining
sentence into NeoG service, Spacer Chae Ho-ki earns a spot on the team. But there’s
more to Chae that the crew doesn’t know, and they must hide a secret that could
endanger everyone they love—as well as their new teammates—if it got out. At
the same time, a seemingly untouchable coalition is attempting to take over
trade with the Trappist colonies and start a war with the NeoG. When the crew
of Zuma’s Ghost gets involved, they end up as targets of this ruthless
enemy.

With new members aboard, will the team grow stronger this
time around? Will they be able to win the games? And, more important, will they
be able to surmount threats from both without and within? 

K. B. Wagers is the author of the NeoG Adventures from Harper Voyager and the Indranan and Farian War trilogies from Orbit Books. They are a fan of whiskey and cats, Jupiter Ascending, and the Muppets. You can find them on various social media sites by going to kbwagers.com, where they engage in political commentary, plant photos, and video game playthroughs.