Garen Rivers, once a celebrated General of the Rhyus Defense Fleet, left the Seven Worlds of Rhyus to live in self-imposed exile on the remote, rugged planet of Chiex. His outspoken stance during the final days of the twenty-year war between the Seven Worlds and the Vorcon Empire cost him his career, his allies, and the life he once knew. Garen’s isolation is shattered when Colonel Conus Taylen, a heavily augmented officer, arrives at his doorstep. Sent by Garen’s former mentor, Admiral Amar Lavont, Taylen urges Garen to lead a mission only he is believed capable of accomplishing. Garen refuses, but a sudden Vorcon assault on his home forces him into action. To protect a nearby settlement, he enlists the help of his Camerian friend, Klamarez. Together, they escape in an unfinished, makeshift ship Klamarez had been constructing. In space, they encounter Major Legate Caul Malocktus, an ambitious figure within the Grand Vorcon Imperial Force—and Garen’s nemesis from the war. Though their vessel, The Seeker, is no match for the Vorcon forces, they narrowly escape. Caul, driven by his ambition to leave a lasting legacy and secure a place among the Vorcons' Immortals, seeks to reshape the Empire’s future. He mentors Nelve, a young Inquisitor, drawing her into a powerful shadow faction that has secretly steered the Vorcon Empire’s course for centuries. As Garen reluctantly returns to the Seven Worlds, he finds that the Vorcon Empire’s resurgence is only one of many threats.