One survivor, one secret, one spark that could start a war
Retribution is a fast- paced, high-stakes space opera with romance woven through the action. Tian Axmar and Brent Walker face a threat designed to ignite inter species conflict, this time striking dangerously close to home.
About the book
Tensions simmer on a world where Humans still blame the Yrmaks for their defeat in the last war. For Celia Whitley—former head of Imperial Security and now leader of Humans First—it’s the perfect place to spark another conflict. All she needs are weapons and money, and she knows how to get both. The Yrmaks who murdered her husband will pay.
Imperial agent Tian Axmar wants Whitley dead—but her orders are to bring the traitor back alive. With partner Brent Walker and the auralfang, Puss, Tian follows a trail of stolen heavy weapons that could ignite the galaxy.
As they race to stop Whitley’s plan from erupting into interspecies war, Tian and Brent discover her true target hits far closer to home. To stop her, they’ll need every scrap of their cyborg strength—and the courage to face the cruelest vengeance of all.
This is the third novel starring Brent Walker and Tian Axmar. Like the other Dryden books, it delivers political intrigue, field operations, alien cultures, and high risk decisions. And yes, Puss is back.
For more about Princess Amira and Admiral Ul Mellor, read A Matter of Trust.
If you’d like to see how Tian and Brent first met, start with Eye of the Mother.
Puss first appears in For the Greater Good.
Want to read the opening chapter?
Read the first chapter free.
Or buy the book at Your choice of vendor
FAQ
No. Retribution is the third book in the Imperial Agents trilogy. It follows Eye of the Mother and For the Greater Good
The central conflict in Retribution is resolved within the novel, but reading the first two books will give a deeper understanding of the characters, their relationship, and the political tensions between Humans and Yrmaks.
Yes, but it works best as the conclusion to the trilogy.
Brent and Tian are an established couple. The story is more about their on-going relationship.
Puss is an auralfang, a rare alien feline species who has been enhanced as a cyborg, much like Brent and Tian. She retains telepathic abilities, but her technological augmentation makes her far more than a companion animal. In Retribution, she plays a critical and active role in the mission.
The Yrmaks are a non human alien species with their own biology, traditions, and internal conflicts. The trilogy explores their society from the inside rather than portraying them as simple antagonists.
Revenge and its consequences
Prejudice and mistrust between species
Moral choices under political pressure
Loyalty and commitment in an established relationship
Cultural understanding across alien boundaries
Closed door sex.
Yes. Both characters are technologically enhanced, and that augmentation shapes how they operate in the field. In Retribution, the theme of enhancement and identity becomes even more personal.
Yes. Retribution brings the central trilogy arc to a resolution while leaving the wider Dryden Universe open for future stories.