Nine years of tranquility came to an abrupt end when a Meridien starship entered the Hellebore system, sounding a dire warning for Alex Racine, the Haraken president. Unwanted visitors had arrived again. But this time, they're not alien; they're human. Claiming to have followed the course of a colony ship launched a millennium ago when Earth wrestled with resource wars and climate change, the mission commander, Antonio Garcia, requests a meeting with the planet's leaders. The Earthers profess a kinship with all humans, and their great desire is to have Meridien join their United Earth (UE). Alex Racine journeys to Meridien to investigate and uncover the Earthers' intentions. In the Haraken world, SADEs (self-aware digital entities) have been freed from their boxes aboard the Meridien-built starships. The mobile SADEs are powerful players in Alex's strategies, inventing ingenious methods to investigate the Earthers and their ship. Complicating matters, the Meridien leadership is in turmoil. The Council Leader insists her people ignore the Earthers, but this path has costs. As tensions escalate, Garcia sends a request for support to his superiors back on Earth, lest his discovery of the rich, Meridien worlds, boasting unbelievable advanced technology, slip through his grasp. A UE battleship heeds the call, escalating the pressure for action. Join the journey as the Harakens and Meridiens work together to protect their planets and their way of life from the newest invaders."