It’s been awhile since I got back to this series and I had to think about what happened in the previous book catch up. The story doesn’t repeat a lot of the history of the series but does give you some hints as to what has happened in the past. This book focuses on a trio of Vipers operating on their own, initially, to find a fallen comrade but develops into a bigger mission involving the Alliance Navy.
The story is pretty good although I was really getting tire of Richmond’s obsession with finding her brother! She’s been looking for this kid for years and has only gotten glimpses of his whereabout but nothing concrete until now. Luckily her brother happens to be located at the same place as her next mission. Well, he was supposed to be there. Getting her brother retrieved is all she can think about even if he’s in a maximum security prison! Now here is where it gets real stupid. I don’t know how she can justify breaking her brother out of a prison for any reason. All she keeps saying is, “He’s my brother; my family!”. Well, so what! The kid has gotten himself into some big time trouble so he needs to pay the price. If she wants to just see him, that’s one thing but to plan on breaking him out and start running from the law is just stupid and much to idiotic for a Viper.
And she doesn’t realize that Stone, now Viper Captain Stone, is more than willing to help here see and talk to her brother. He knows she’s not going to like what see finds out about him, but he’s willing to help, to a point. Richmond doesn’t bother asking for help and does about the worst thing she could have done. It’s a wonder that Stone doesn’t kill her the next time they meet. He should have!
Good story, not a lot of fighting. We get the same Navy characters we read about in the original first book and those involved in the Shan war with the Merki. I think this book is leading up to a bigger battle for the Earth Alliance than any before. Maybe our contact with three new alien races will help us in this coming war. We’ll have to wait for the next book to find out.
Great series, good continuation of the storyline.