Power, politics, and intergalactic war... Admiral Stone just wanted to retire. Xenophobia and itchy trigger fingers nearly ended the Sol Alliance. War-avoidable yet inevitable-ensued with the Arcoenum, an exotic alien species with overwhelming mental abilities. The Alliance survived thanks to the quick thinking of a brash, young starship officer, Nick Stone. A half-century of peace followed, and Stone spends the rest of his life reluctantly accepting the endless accolades of a grateful humanity. Now, at 75, he's not only ready to retire-he's desperate to. "S-O-S. All ships and stations. My name is Alice Keller..." When a distress call goes out from Drake's World, newly elected Alliance President Piers Bragg pressures Stone into one final mission: rescue the young girl marooned on the planet, then sail triumphantly into retirement. But when Alice demonstrates amazing psychokinetic abilities, everything changes. And Bragg will stop at nothing to exploit her abilities as he prepares for a war of revenge against what's left of the Arcoenum. The Expanse meets Star Trek in this military science fiction epic from award-winning author Chris Pourteau. How many times can we forget the lessons of history... before history decides to forget us?