Cartwright's Cavaliers: Descent (The Guild Wars, #14)

The Guild Wars seemed to be winding down...until you left Earth.

Jim Cartwright, commander of Cartwright's Cavaliers and Minister of War for the Terran Federation, has been struggling with all the hats he has to wear. Merc commander, minister, and leader of Earth's Raknar forces for their allies, the Dusman. The strain's causing him...issues, and he decides to visit the surviving Human colonies to get away for a bit.

What he finds isn't what we was expecting, as he encounters the newest result of the Guild Wars—fighting between non-merc races. In the absence of Mercenary Guild contracts, many races have decided to fight it out themselves, and someone is happily supplying them with the weapons they need.

Meanwhile, Jim's longtime friend, Splunk—or J'asa as she's known to the Dusman—has returned to the 2nd Level Hyperspace home where the Dusman have spent the last 20,000 years hiding. She goes there to research more about the Raknar, hoping to find some answers for what's happening to Jim.

What she finds is a plot within her own race's leadership which will result in changes to her entire life, and not all for the better. It's time for the Dusman to descend from 2nd Level Hyperspace and rejoin the rest of the galaxy.

The Guild Wars aren't quite over yet, though, and there are still depths for civilization to sink further...