The tenth anniversary edition of the Locus Award Winning classic. Featuring a new introduction by Ann Leckie. When Captain Kel Cheris is disgraced for her unconventional tactics, Command gives her a chance to redeem herself, by retaking the imposing Fortress of Scattered Needles from the heretics rebelling against the hexarchate. Cheris’s career isn’t the only thing at stake: if the fortress falls, the whole empire is at risk. Her best hope is to play host to the imprisoned soul of the gifted tactician Shuos Jedao, who has never lost a battle. But it’s a terrible risk: in life, Jedao went mad and massacred two armies, one of them his own. As the siege wears on and the secrets of the hexarchate come to light, Cheris must decide how far she can trust the ghostly Jedao – is he leading her to the truth, or will she be his next victim?