Book excerpt: Sea Fox Clansmen are space-bound, nomadic warrior-merchants who live and die aboard their naval vessels, going planetside only to negotiate a new deal or for combat: often the same thing for a Fox. Divided into five autonomous Khanates, they are led by the Khan of all Clan Sea Fox. Their mission: to make deals and acquire the revenue needed to expand Sea Fox’s honor, glory, and power. . . . For more than a decade, ovKhan Sha Clarke has watched his Spina Khanate achieve greater wealth and fame than any other. A quiet passion drives the MechWarrior to free Spina Khanate from the shackles of Clan Sea Fox—no matter the cost. . . . A MechWarrior fiercely loyal to Clan Sea Fox, ovKhan Petr Kalasa knows that Sha is plotting rebellion, but even he cannot guess the lengths to which Sha will go to achieve victory. In his attempt to stop his rival, he baits Sha into a one-on-one duel. The result is a disaster that vividly demonstrates how much Petr will have to sacrifice to put an end to Sha’s machinations. Yet his suspicions of Sha will not let him rest. He has lost one battle, but—as The Clan is his witness—he will not lose the war. . . .