When newly commissioned Electronic Warfare officer Melody Mullen is selected to travel on the long distance exploration ship Far Reach, she had no idea that their travels will take them across the galaxy to a lost galactic empire. When she accidentally becomes Empress of the Galaxy, she's even more surprised. Now, facing the trials of ruling a lost empire, new abilities that frighten people (and herself) Melody has to rise to the challenge and protect her new people. Among a crew of humans, a worried AI ship and the K'laxi - furry catlike aliens that have been friends with humanity for centuries - Melody has to work together to figure out the mysterious Gate system. Since they use a different form of FTL travel - wormhole linking - the humans are unfamiliar with the Gates, and the K'laxi offered to help them map the system.  An alien artifact around a gate hints to a much larger universe than anyone back home realized, and after Melody touches it, she gets invaded by a mysterious power that she doesn't understand. Able to understand any language and - worryingly - give orders that cannot be disobeyed, Melody is Empress.  She must use her wits, her friends, and her caffeinated knowledge to be able to navigate a world she doesn't know, all while making sure she doesn't accidentally become a tyrant. Although, it would be much easier to be a tyrant...