Synopsis
In the year 2084, DAXO JAMES is a husband, and a father. He is intellectually and physically scarred from his time in the American Defense Force, the ADF, and frequently has nightmares about desperate battles he fought in and lost friends. But now, he is reclusive…until he receives a call notifying him that he has been reactivated into military service. Although he is told the coming war is to spread democracy throughout the world, he knows it’s a war of conquest, and Daxo isn’t going to simply comply. He reaches out to old Army buddies and learns of a way out. Daxo conceals his intentions from everyone, including his wife, LYRIA. Once he has his family loaded into an RV, with a curious amount of provisions, they set off cross-country. But, in this world, there is no way to evade the government forever.
At a road block, Daxo is arrested and placed in the back of a government car, where one of his old acquaintances from the Academy, MAJOR BRANTLEY, provokes him into a confrontation. Although they are driving down the road, and Daxo is handcuffed, he manages to incapacitate both men in the front of the car and make an escape. This escape, however, is short-lived and he is quickly back in custody.
Once in jail, the court system tells Daxo that he is being held indefinitely. During his time in prison, he is beaten and nearly starved. Only vast mental exercises get him through his time there. After over a year in prison, he is abruptly led out of his cell and into a shipping container, where he and many thousands of others are transported to a space access platform out in the ocean.
THIS IS WHERE THE BOOK STARTS.
Daxo is on board a ship, having woke from stasis several hours ago. He learns they are in orbit of a green and blue planet, many light years from Earth. He barely gets back into a stasis pod before they are launched towards the planet surface. There, he begins the work of surviving…alone. He is racked with bitter grief and remorse, and he tries to focus on working with his hands and exploring…anything to distract himself from the anguish.
The planet is remarkably hospitable, until he meets the top predator in the ecosystem. Only the timely intervention of another human saves him from death. His name is REZA, and he has a sordid story of his own, even more depressing than Daxo’s. The two become friends and soon they find others on the surface. During their expeditions, they encounter the vicious predator, which they dubbed a “Sutu”, many times. They build a small camp next to a river. Downriver, they find another camp, but it is run by a small handful of military personnel. Daxo and his band of exiles learn of the horrifying and desperate living conditions in the camp and decide to make a rescue attempt of those inside. After some initial success, they are driven off and flee back up river to regroup. During this time, Daxo struggles to overcome his own hesitation towards leading men into battle yet again. He reveals to his new friends why he left the ADF long ago and why he wants to avoid attacking the camp downriver.
He and his small tribe begin establishing a village on an island in a large lake connected to the river. Events lead them to realize some of the bizarre biology of the planet, as well as an electromagnetic anomaly that renders most electronics useless. Daxo also struggles with his love for his wife back on Earth and his growing attachment for a woman named ALIYA. However, they get too comfortable, and men from the downriver camp arrive and kidnap members of Daxo’s tribe, including Aliya.
His hand now being forced, he rallies his men and goes downriver to confront the men of the other camp. In confidence, he bears his heart to Reza and explains his hesitation towards this mission. Reza, the laconic and wise friend, tells him exactly what he needs to hear. Having his nerves steeled, Daxo and his men reach the enemy camp and set a cunning plan to gain access. Once inside and having nullified the guards, Daxo is confronted by the leader at the camp…a man known as “the Major”. He is the same man who arrested Daxo years ago, on Earth at the road block.
He holds a woman from Daxo’s tribe as a hostage, and tells Daxo the story of how he and the others arrived at the planet. It is an opportunity for Daxo to share his philosophy with all the others in the camp who are listening. The Major tells Daxo that he wasn’t actually being reactivated, it was only a test…a test Daxo failed. That is why he was jailed and exiled. At the end, Daxo calls the Major’s bluff and the two agree to a fight to the death to settle the issue. Daxo cunningly deceives the Major, causing the Major to reveal his own immoral character. Daxo kills the Major and the others in the camp agree to join his tribe and relocate to the island in the lake.
Nearly a year later, the island is host to a thriving village, and the first children are being born. Daxo and Aliya have a daughter, who they name Lyria. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to anyone on the planet, more people are en-route onboard another large ship, fulfilling part of the American government’s twisted plan to colonize the world…but few people are alive on Earth to hear about it anymore.
