Shadow of the Scorpion

From Earth Central

Shadow of the Scorpion, published in 2008, is a prequel to the other Cormac stories. It tells of his early career in ECS and events that shape him as a future Polity agent. In flashbacks to his childhood, we learn that his father was lost in the closing years of the war with the Prador. His father had been partnered with a scorpion designed war drone. The drone's inability to deal with the horrific loss of his partner unhinges him and leads him to contact the young Cormac. Learning the truth of is father's loss and retrieval of removed memories has a tremendous impact on Ian's first Sparkind mission and his determination to become an ECS agent. In the end, he acquires Shuriken.