Kaine's Crucible. Shattered Empire, #0

A military cadet. A frontier uprising. A truth that may never be provable. Hayden Kaine is a rising star at the Confederation Military Academy-groomed for command, protected by legacy, and certain of the empire he serves. Assigned to observe a routine peacekeeping mission on the frontier world of Nova Esperança, Kaine expects discipline, order, and a clean report. Instead, he is captured by colonial insurgents and exposed to a version of interstellar military rule built on forced labour, sealed habitats, and controlled narratives.
As Kaine is forced to confront evidence of systemic abuse, he must decide whether he is witnessing the truth-or a sophisticated act of psychological warfare designed to fracture his loyalty. When Confederation forces intervene, memory and official record diverge. Reports contradict experience. Certainty becomes impossible. Kaine's Crucible is a standalone military science fiction novella blending space opera scale with political thriller tension.