Those who belong should be wary of those who do not, for acceptance can be a dangerous need.

On the cusp of adulthood, Eva finally finds kinship in the orbital cavalry, where her penchant for violence and her relentless composure are not just accepted, but respected. However, she can smell rot in the ranks. She is being ordered to kill people – a lot of people – and she can either ask why, or keep her new and fragile belonging intact, raising toast after toast to victory in the warmth of her barracks.

Meanwhile, Iskander earns a wage by hauling cargo in his robotic freight mech, a two-legged pile of rust and greasy steel that cost every penny he had. Employment, however, is not the same as belonging. Knowing that “real” mech pilots fight in dangerous, glitzy combat tournaments, he must either risk death by fighting in his decrepit mech, or stand aside and hope a steady paycheck overwhelms the immediacy of being alone.

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