A Marine major is one of the orphan ranks, too senior to command a line company, but too junior to command a battalion.Newly promoted to major, Ryck reports for duty as the assistant naval attache to the Confederation of Free States, the same government whose troops he'd recently fought in the Telchines. Ryck wasn't happy about the assignment, but he buckled down for a long and boring tour of duty.But action seems to follow Ryck, and this is no exception.From the diplomatic post on New Mumbai to leading one of the newly formed Raider special ops companies, Ryck continues his eventful career as a United Federation Marine.