In the distant star cluster Messier 4, a war of attrition has raged for the last seven years between the struggling coalition military of Atayuma-Eins and the aspirational empire of the Tressel State.

As Secretary of State to the Territory of Atayuma-Eins, Vesta Fortuna fights dwindling resources and morale crises as she works to expand their ranks and stave off defeat long enough for their coalition to make statehood. All the while, she must balance her work with motherhood and marriage, raising her daughter on Atayuma while regularly visiting her distant partner and son.

After spending nearly a decade in the outer rim, Ponta Lynd has found new purpose in the fight for northern peace. A newly minted officer in the Navy of Atayuma-Eins, Ponta finds himself stationed on a patrol ship parked on a snowy planet, lightyears from the front lines. This backwater assignment quickly turns good when Ponta and his comrades are ordered to escort the Secretary of State on a high-stakes diplomatic mission.