Sergeant Ripley Coulter leads the Army's E-Squad, defending the metaverse from online attacks in NeuralNet, a completely immersive reality.  When enemy fighters take him out in a massive explosion, he wakes up in a strange new world powered by steam and primitive electronics. Fortunately, his neural implant is still operable . . . In this world, London is Ethinium. The UK is Greater Umbria. And the empires of Europe reign supreme atop ancient steam vaults filled with dark secrets. Coulter joins the Royal Venture Society and aligns with the king’s forces fighting Darhaven, a mysterious source of corruption deep inside the vaults . . .