The frontline is a memory. Vance Sterling has ascended to the Warrant Tier, joining an elite shadow-class of officers who answer only to the systems they maintain. As a 919A Systems Integration Officer, Vance no longer carries a rifle; he carries the blueprints for a new society.Under the guise of writing speculative fiction, Vance begins drafting "e;The Skyforged Manuscripts"e;—a series of encrypted files that hide the true architecture of the Global Vanguard's power. But the deeper he digs into the protocol, the more he realizes the "e;Civilian Sector"e; is a curated illusion. With his fourteen-year service clock ticking down, Vance must use his new clearance to steal the logic gates necessary to build The Citadel. If the Vanguard discovers the Manuscripts are actually a manual for independence, the "e;Neutral Zone"e; will become his final battlefield.
