Exhausted, wounded, and alone, Jay must find the will to push through and rescue his child. Kate, back in control of her own destiny, faces a taste of the reality FEMA has delivered to the major cities of America in the aftermath of the coronal mass ejection. She must pass through the fire to return home, but only if she's ready to sacrifice everything. Leah and the other students left behind become firsthand witnesses to the desperation of man and what violence that can bring. They are forced to dig deep and defend themselves, or risk becoming a footnote in a new, darker history of mankind. In a world where electricity is a thing of the past, can there be any hope for the future? After all, it's not a matter of if a CME will strike the earth, but when.

    Outnumbered and outgunned, the Rebellion nevertheless burns across a thousand-thousand worlds, flaming into a fire of hope.But the Emperor has ordered this fire extinguished, setting the massive war machine he had constructed into motion.