In this thrilling prequel to The Electric Church, a young Avery Cates finds himself trying desperately to survive in the newly-established System of Federated Nations. When a hit on a Joint Council Undersecretary falls into his lap, Cates determines he'll fulfill the contract, even if the people hiring don't know it yet. As Cates learns the ropes, he meets someone who will one day be an old friend and struggles with the reality of what he's about to do. Killing a man for money, he's told, is a great and terrible thing. Contains the previously-released Avery Cates short stories "This Was Battle. This Was Joy," "The Golden Badge," "The Oldest Bastard on the Block," "This Was Education," "all orphans, at least," and "The Sewer Rat."