Clockwerk soldiers, airships, and aether bombs have ground the war between the States to a stalemate. Can Colonel Julius Montclair find a way to end the bitter conflict? Colonel Julius Montclair, elite soldier and the youngest airship commander in the Union fleet, has been humbled by war. He's venerated for his bravery at the Battle of the Potomac, but he will carry the scars of that victory for the rest of his life. The loss of good men and women under his command continues to haunt him. Now, Montclair wants nothing more than to simply do his job and is more than ready to lay down the mantle of "hero." That is, until President Grant himself summons Montclair to Washington. Montclair is tasked with a deadly mission: He must lead his troops on a clandestine insertion behind enemy lines to uncover a plot that may destroy the Union. But Montclair won't be able to do it alone; he'll need the help of the most dangerous and least trusted weapons in the Union's formidable arsenal - the spymasters of Strategic Intelligence. Scarlet, a gorgeous young Strategic Intelligence agent and trained assassin, has the lethal skills and gritty determination required to protect her country. But can she gain the trust of Colonel Montclair and his men? Only by working together can they uncover the Confederacy's plot and stop a dark aether-fueled weapon of mass destruction from erasing the Union from history. Vince Flynn's political thrillers meet the creative technology of Jules Verne.