Earth suffers under a brutal alien occupation. But one young man from beyond the galaxy's edge brings hope. Ely Hale returns to the Earth with a desperate plea from his father: Take his son to Stacy Ibarra and remove the Qa'resh technology embedded in his skull before it kills him. Ely awakens to a world turned prison planet, and the Geist invaders have their own designs on the device he carries. Only the Ibarra Crusade stands against the darkness, and they are losing the war. When the Crusade's few remaining agents learn of Ely's return, they launch a final, desperate attempt to steal him off world and out of the Geist's clutches. Ely isn't a warrior, but the Hale name comes with high expectations...and carries hope for all of humanity. The Ember War Saga continues with this first novel in the Ibarra Crusade. Military science fiction at its finest with all the mech combat, space marines and pulse pounding battles that Richard Fox is famous for. Read Ashes Fall now!