With a wild gambit, Dawn leads the rebels against the Republic's greatest power. The land of Telarine is in chaos. Seeing an opportunity to stop the rebellion once and for all, the Republic gathers its scattered sandships into an unstoppable fleet, a storm of steel destroying everything in its path. In desperation, Dawn invades the deep desert with a daring plan to take on the Outsiders, hoping to steal their ships and build a fleet of her own. Meanwhile, Marshal follows the trail of his missing family into the dark heart of the Republic and discovers the Sovereign is a greater threat than anyone realized, and that finding victory will require the help of unexpected allies. With the Republic's full strength moving against Gamon, Dawn rallies the rebellion in a race against time as they prepare for one final standoff against the Sovereign.