Time is said to change everything, and hence the problem with long-term plans: by the time they must be implemented, the conditions under which they were conceived may have changed radically.

That was the case with Jamie Arantes, who was recruited for the Silverstar program when she was a talented and promising Starmada cadet. By the time the Torchlight Brigade was activated, she was regarded as a deserter and rebel mercenary, but also a successful bounty hunter with an impressive track record. What happened between those two points in time was just life, or rather life on the frontier.