NUCLEAR WAR: THE WAR FOR ORBIT is a standalone story from the world of DAY ZERO. You can listen to it on its own, without needing to know the previous books.

The world after nuclear war is trying to return to order. Governments talk about law again. Cities are being rebuilt. People learn to live with the memory of catastrophe and plans for the future.

In Moscow, Sergey Lavrov, president of New Russia, is preparing to announce the first election results since the war. For his supporters, it is meant to prove the country is leaving survival mode behind.

At Cape Canaveral, Orbital Dawn One launches as the first crewed mission into space after the nuclear war. The world is watching: America, China, New Russia, Europe, Japan, rebuilt cities, and the crew’s families.

The rocket launches. The crew reaches orbit. Mission Control confirms success. Earth applauds.

Then an old Russian satellite begins to move.

In official catalogs, Grach-3 is listed as dead debris, one of hundreds of objects left in orbit after the war. But it is not dead. It received a command.

At first, it looks like a data error. Then it becomes a dangerous conjunction with debris. The crew is ordered to perform an avoidance maneuver. For a few seconds, it seems the spacecraft will get clear.

Then a second object appears.

Orbital Dawn One is destroyed in full view of the world.

Almost at the same time, an explosion tears through Red Square. Lavrov is gravely wounded. He is alive, but unconscious. Moscow falls into chaos: state channels go silent, security forces wait for orders, and political factions move faster than doctors can evacuate him.

An American spacecraft is destroyed in orbit. The president of New Russia lies unconscious. An old Russian satellite suddenly stops being space debris. Someone is already preparing the first version of the truth.

This is the beginning of a fight over who will explain what happened, who will take power in Moscow, and who will control the next war for orbit.