Fighting on a battlefield isn't romantic, it's bloody hell - and Master Author David Drake gives his stories a realism as only someone who has been there can do. Here we have some top people in their various fields who, one way or another, have been through that hell - some injured enough for retirement, others with mistakes they wish to atone for. They are grouped together as a survey team on a planet specializing in the production of gage - a most potent drug. The civilians are at the mercy of two criminal syndicates who make their lives as miserable as they can - and take great pleasure in doing so. What can a small survey team do about it? Quite a bit, actually. A terrific read.