One ship was a shield. Now, a fleet must become the sword.
The arms race for the Orion Spur has reached a terrifying conclusion. Thanks to a catastrophic technology leak, the Alliance and the Economic Union no longer hold the monopoly on the tyazhest drive—a weapon capable of creating singularities that implode entire battleships in the blink of an eye.
Captain Archer Devereaux, the man who awakened the ancient ship Defender, finds himself sidelined by suspicion. With his partner, Bette Matteson, appearing to defect to the hostile Federation, Archer is grounded and his loyalty questioned just as the galaxy reaches its breaking point.
But when the Federation finally declares open war, the Alliance has only one move left.
To survive a numerical disadvantage that should be certain death, they must launch a desperate, preemptive strike using the new fold strike force—a handful of experimental capital ships capable of instantaneous jumps. Archer is called back to the bridge as Commodore, tasked with leading a high-speed, hit-and-run campaign across enemy systems.
From deep-cover espionage within the Federation to high-octane fleet engagements, the stakes have never been higher. Archer must master the skladka fold technology to strike the heart of the enemy before they can unify their fleets. If he fails, the tyazhest weapons will be turned against inhabited worlds, and the Orion Spur will burn.
Experience the fifth installment of the Orion Spur series, a military science fiction epic where ancient AI secrets and cutting-edge tactics decide the fate of humanity.
