Sometimes, the right man in the wrong uniform can make all the difference. Ethan, a lowly recruit with an oil-stained uniform and a spirit worn down by disappointment, finds his life forever changed by a twist of fate. Squinting at his reflection, he sees the sleeves of his borrowed jacket bore captain’s stripes. A grotesque emblem is embossed over the jacket's breast pocket—a roaring lion's head surrounded by a cluster of jagged broken bones—the symbol of the Special Operations Service. There is no way out. The ship is taking off because they think an elite SOS captain is on board to take command—him. His choices were brutally simple . . . act like the officer everyone thought he was or be found out as a fraud. One was survival, the other . . . The consequences sent a wave of panic through him. He was a mouse in a lion's skin. He had to become that lion until he found a way out of his cage. Ethan's path intersects with Kate Haliday, the leader of the dark matter project in the Cygni star system. A subtle dance of glances and half-spoken truths begins. But the threads of connection are fragile as they are tangled with the ambitions of Commander Varek, a skeptical officer. The emergence of an unknown alien race casts a long shadow that shifts the cosmic chessboard of a space fleet and a galactic empire. Their interest in dark matter and Earth's colonies weaves a layer of mystery and suspense. In this hard science fiction dance, Ethan must navigate the intricacies of love, rivalry, and alien invasion. The possibility of being unveiled darkens his every step. With each move, the line between the man he is and the officer he pretended to be . . . blurs.