Though hell should bar the way

"Roy Olfetrie planned to be an officer in the Republic of Cinnabar but when his father was unmasked as a white-collar criminal he had to take whatever was offered. What is offered is a chance to accompany Captain Daniel Leary and Lady Adele Mundy as they go off to start a war that will put Roy at the sharp end. Duty snatches Roy from the harem of a pirate chief to a world of monsters, from interstellar reaches in a half-wrecked starship to assassination attempts at posh houses. The action doesn't slow and nor can Roy. Captain Leary himself has given Roy a chance and he is determined to make the most of it"--