Trial by the Gods

With his career as a fighter pilot ended, Akuleh—Ku to his friends—is accepted into training for the Qaletaqa, the fulfillment of his childhood ambition. Once a territorial militia on Ku’s home world, the Qaletaqa are now the most sought-after special operations force in the Soliennese Commonwealth. The training regime is brutal, but Ku is motivated by his duty to his friend, King Mogen, who vanished when the enemy Supremacy occupied Solienne. Ku is grateful for his ability to endure, gained through earlier hardships, and his experience as a squadron commander helps him lead his fellow trainees, even with a devastating personal situation developing at home. Then a volcano erupts on the island where Ku’s group is training, and their exercise scenario is replaced by a real-world rescue operation. Separated from half the group, and with the lead mentor injured, it falls to Ku to evacuate the wounded civilians before their village is consumed by lava… and before a traitor in the ranks betr