When the supergiant star Antares exploded in 2512, the human colony on Alta found their pathway to the stars gone, isolating them from the rest of human space for more than a century.
When a powerful warship materializes in the system without warning, the commanders of the Altan Space Navy are alarmed. They dispatch one of Alta’s most powerful ships to investigate, only to discover the unknown behemoth is battered and helmed by a dead crew.
This is disturbing news for the Altans as the defeated battleship would have easily defeated the whole of the Altan navy on it’s own. And if that ship was able to stumble into the Altan system, so too could the force responsible for its destruction. Something must be done.
After more than a century of isolation, the paths between stars are again open and the people of Alta in contact with their sister colony on Sandar. And yet, the opening of the foldlines has not been the pure blessing the Altans had supposed. The reestablishment of interstellar travel has brought with it news of the encroaching Ryall, an alien race whose goal is the extermination of humanity. If they are to avoid defeat at the hands of the alien forces, Alta must seek out the military might of Earth. The only suitable path, however, requires a journey into the heart of a supernova ...
After a century of warfare, humanity finally discovered the Achilles heel of the Ryall, their xenophobic reptilian foe. Spica – Alpha Virginis – is the key star system in enemy space. It is the hub through which all Ryall starships must pass, and if Alta and their allies can just capture and hold it, they will strangle the Ryall war machine and end its threat to humankind forever.
It all seemed so simple in the computer simulations: Advance by stealth, attack without warning, strike swiftly with over-whelming power. Unfortunately, the logistics prove to be the easy part. With the key to victory in hand, Richard and Bethany Drake must temper the volatile role of human nature if they are to bring down the alien foe…
