Humanity's first contact was not with a friendly voice from the stars.
It was a declaration of conquest.
When an advanced alien probe arrives in the Sol System claiming Earth now belongs to the mysterious Ayreanian Potentate, humanity races to prepare for the inevitable war. Using reverse-engineered alien technology, Earth builds its own gravity catapult network-and a revolutionary faster-than-light Jump System-to carry the fight to the enemy before the enemy can reach Earth.
But when the first expedition arrives at the distant Gliese 35 system, they find no alien empire waiting for them. Instead, the system's dying white dwarf star illuminates the shattered remnants of a long-abandoned civilization and a deadly automated fortress guarding secrets humanity barely understands.
Over three tense years, Earth transforms Gliese 35 into a heavily defended military outpost standing between Sol and whatever may still lurk beyond the stars.
Then the aliens finally return to Gliese 35.
As massive warships emerge from the darkness beyond the ancient gravity catapult network, humanity realizes the coming conflict may not be the war they expected-and that the enemy approaching the frontier may be far more dangerous than anyone imagined.
The first interstellar war in human history is about to begin.