Here’s what you need to know about Guy Erma. Sixteen years old, and he already knows life’s hard—and only likely to get harder. But he can see a way out, a path to a secure, if not particularly safe, future: Earth’s Space Defense Force, the Dome Militant. The black and gold uniforms, the bold pledge to Loyal to Empire, Fear Only God, and the dangerous missions defending Earth from marauding pirates and alien plunderers. This is the destiny Guy craves.
But there’s a problem. Guy is an unregistered orphan. No birth record, no parents, no official existence. He lives in the attics of House Jewel, a famous fashion house, surrounded by other unregistered children. While most of them are destined for factory work or small roles in the fashion industry, Guy is determined to carve a different path for himself. Since he was very young, he’s shown a talent for blades fighting, but that talent didn’t come without effort—he’s trained relentlessly. For the past three years, he has been the Junior Blades Champion in Domeside, London. This is the kind of accolade that doesn’t go unnoticed. The captains and commanders of the Dome Militant will already know his name. They’ll know he’s applied to join the Dome Militant. But without registration, his application won’t even make the shortlist—unless someone powerful intervenes.
And there are only three people on Earth who can make extraordinary nominations to the Dome Militant: Regent Sayginn, the Earth's monarch sinece the murder of her husband King Serge; the Archbishop of London; and Chart Segat, the administrator of the London Dome and commander-in-chief of the Dome Militant. Only one of these knows Guy’s name. But will Chart Segat—called “Chartsie” by his men—step in to help him?
Then there’s Marline, Guy’s closest friend and possibly the one person who understands him best. Like him, she was born in the attics of House Jewel, unregistered and anonymous. Unlike him, she’s found a way out. At sixteen, she’s already working as a model and is well on her way to becoming one of the faces of House Jewel. But she hasn’t left Guy behind. She’s there for him—pushing him, challenging him, and believing in him, even when he struggles to believe in himself.
Guy Erma is not one to surrender to fate. His blades are sharp, his resolve sharper. He knows that without registration, his dream is impossible. But dreams don’t bend to rules—they shatter them. Whether through sheer skill, the intervention of Chart Segat, or the unraveling of the secrets surrounding his past, Guy is determined to make his way into the Dome Militant. One way or another, Guy Erma will be seen, and when he is, Earth and her protectors Dome Militant will become a force like the Empire has never seen before.
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