Books 6 in Tom Kratman&s Carrera military science fiction series Tarawa Iwo Normandy Names that shine in the military history of two worlds places where brave men stormed ashore & fought their way to victory no matter the odds But then there are other names Marathon Malta Gallipoli Balboa&s Patricio Carrera has driven the Tauran Union from his adopted country driven them out with appalling loss & worse humiliation That&s not enough though To finally finish his enemies Carrera needs to draw them back for a more telling defeat He cannot take the battle to them because beyond some long range bombardment capability he cannot reach them But when they return they don&t plan to come alone; they insist on having someone else do most of the bleeding for them Carrera understands this & that&s why he&s provoked the Zhong Guo mercilessly infuriating their ruling Empress He needs the Zhong in the war to buck up the Taurans to continue the war to its bitterest end Now Carrera&s enemies are about to learn why the expression "blood-stained water" is not just a literary allusion