For 200 years, Earth prospector ships traveled from star to star to connect wondrous new worlds to adventurous humankind. The Earth’s Triad Empire protected the fragile network of colonies with a nimble fleet. Immense wealth and power was tempered by ethical laws. The Deerborne family embodied all that was good. Knowledge abounded; they learned. Opportunities were countless; they achieved. Selfless sacrifice was critical; they volunteered. A flawed orphan came into their care; they adopted. Fate placed the Deerbornes at the center of a Triad crisis. In the midst of this golden era, the empire’s lifeblood began to fail. Commodity trades were twisted by greed. Intelligence agents who discovered problems became ineffective. Festering tensions became revolts against the empire. Freedoms for the people narrowed and the Triad reacted with excessive force. Experts blamed all ills on the mysterious pressers: aliens possessing no way to communicate with humans. As the Fleet activated the siege weapon Redemption, unexplained events intensified. Could the Deerbornes return peace to the Triad? Could they prevent genocide of the pressers? Then, warrior-aliens received an omen from a rogue comet: war with the Triad was coming.