Rotha Blackwell, Deputy Marshal and acting personal bodyguard for General Athers, a charismatic and well-respected wartime prophet-historian, does his job well. However, in the midst of split factions, civil war, and a plague of cybernetic alien monsters known as the Scythe, which threaten to annihilate the human race from existence, can Rotha effectively safeguard the man? Upon Athers' back, fate, a legion of hateful dissenters, and an innumerable horde of deadly Acrids have painted a target. Prophecy may protect the defender, but can one's skill with a blaster, battlefield strategy, and powerful reputation preserve the mark?