The End Of Childhood

The die is cast.

The Empire has caught the fractal demons marshaling troops for assault, and there is no avoiding the decisive Armageddon between humanity and the fractal demons.  Both sides have their strengths and there is no certainty about the outcome.  While the Empire is free-falling towards open war, Grace is tasked with nudging the odds a little bit, ferreting out traitors to humanity, bribed with the seeming of the most precious gift possible but with a nightmare catch.

Then at the moment of the first skirmishes, personal tragedy strikes, clearing the way for a long-delayed impulse, which results in horror and more personal tragedy.

But out of the disaster, a new Grace emerges - one ready to stand on her own, fully realized as a potent force in her own right.