The twenty-first book of Ryk Brown’s ambitious Frontiers Saga races off the press.

The year is 3472. The Earth is recovering from 1,000 years of darkness and despair caused by a bio-digital plague that nearly destroyed her entire population. The discovery of the Data Ark, a repository of human knowledge left behind by their fallen ancestors, has advanced Earth technology the equivalent of 200 years in only a century. As a result, they discovered that they had long ago settled nearby star systems, many of which had grown into massive planetary civilizations that continued to settle further out into space. They also discovered that those worlds had been ravaged by the same plague, and that each had struggled to rise from the ashes and thrive again.

One world survived by taking what they needed from their neighbors, by force. Over the centuries, they have risen to become an interstellar empire, and have conquered every human-inhabited world within 50 light years of their home world… except one.

Now, the people of Earth rush to prepare a defense against the newly discovered threat. But the nations of the world that spawned humanity may not have the infrastructure, population, and political will necessary to meet such a task.

One discovery, one invention, one event, and one man… They all come together to create the spark that changes everything.

Captain Nathan Scott has finally returned to lead the new Karuzari in a rebellion against the Dusahn Empire, who has conquered Earth’s allies in the Pentaurus sector. Before they can challenge the Dusahn and prevent them from expanding their empire further, the Karuzari must first gather much needed resources. But doing so could be more difficult than anticipated.  Nathan has less than a week to prepare, before he must face the greatest Gunyoki pilot on all of Rakuen. The future of the Karuzari, and the freedom of the entire quadrant depend on one thing:

His victory.

Catch up with the galaxy shaking events of the Rogue Castes in Escalation, or start from the first fateful space jump with the Frontiers Saga omnibus.