Synopsis: The enemy has struck the human colony of Cloud with merciless precision, an attack so deadly that even the world's sole Bolo, a Mark XXXIII Mod HCT named Hector, was overwhelmed. Within days, the survivors of Cloud's shattered military had been herded into slave camps, while Hector, recognized as kin by the alien machine invaders, was "repaired", his loyalties electronically suborned as he became a slave camp guard in the service of the masters ... One human, however, refuses to accept defeat. Major Jaime Graham will free his companions or die trying. All he needs to do is find a way to bring Hector back to the side of humanity, stop the enemy's bombardment from orbit, and defeat an ancient, cold, and highly advanced machine intelligence utterly hostile to organic life... all without tools without weapons, and with enemies even among his fellow slaves. (adapted from the back cover text of the first edition)