thinks that the rebels need him more than she does. The book concludes with an ambush in Texas that destroys much of the stock of Quickwood. Valentine's Rising The book begins with Valentine and his men learning of an invasion. Southern Command, once a bastion of freedom, has had its military strength broken and much of its territory overrun by a formidable army of soldiers borrowed from various Kurian Lords, all led by Consular Solon. Valentine encounters General Martinez, a Southern Command leader that hides away from fights, and acts like a mob warlord, and likely collaborates with the Kurians. Martinez orders Ahn-Kha's remaining two Grogs killed, which precipitates Valentine to draw his own firearm on Martinez. A Mexican standoff occurs, which ends with Martinez being tried for a court martial by Styachowski, an officer. In the end, the court martial falls apart as the armed men outside begin to mob the court. Valentine reaches an agreement with Martinez to allow himself, Styachowski, a team of Bears and roughly half of Martinez's regular forces to leave the camp. Valentine and his men are unable to escape Solon's long-reaching grasp and choose instead to undertake a massive intelligence operation. They pose as a Quisling group sent to reinforce Solon's already impressive army. This leads to many tests of Valentine's faith as he is forced to make horrific decisions. He and his men are forced to work under Brigadier General Xray Tango and work for the betterment of the Kurian Order. Soon, Valentine and his men prove themselves to Solon and are granted access to arms and munitions. The finale of the book comes as Valentine launches a crippling attack from within Fort Scott, taking and holding the area around it and completely halting Solon's forces and their ability to move while broadcasting a message to the scattered remnants of Southern Command, informing them that the mobility of Solon's forces was crippled and urging them to rise up and fight, which they do. Thus begins a long last stand effort as Valentine and his forces (now dubbed the "Razorbacks") hold the area and prevent Solon's forces from effectively countering the actions of Southern Command's forces elsewhere. Valentine leads a team of Bears (including Styachowski, now dubbed "Wildcard") into the Kurian fortress to kill the Kurian Lords within, which they are mostly successful at doing. The book ends as forces from Texas come