900 years ago, we launched the probes, hoping to find the light of intelligence in the vast dark. They were never heard from again. As humanity’s star-colonies struggle to emerge from a long dark age, the probes are all but forgotten. Now a message from one of them offers bright hope … or will it lead to a new darkness? In the year 3014, the fledgling Confederation of Colonies must overcome one last barrier to unity: the centuries-old scourge of the pirate factions. The crew of the starship Assured are in the midst of fighting the final pocket of pirate resistance on the verges of human-explored space when the battle is interrupted by a deep space transmission from a long-lost probe. With the confirmation that aliens are building their own space-faring civilization 260 lightyears away, the human race’s petty brawling seems suddenly insignificant. Humanity’s neighbors have extended an invitation. Assured is tasked with meeting them. Only one question remains … Will they be friend … or foe?

There are many liars aboard the starship Assured . In the cold remote depths of space, lies can be deadly. While the Assured and its crew recover from the short-lived conflict around the Tluaan homeworld, there is disagreement amongst its senior mission staff. Captain Pan Xinchun recommends leaving the Tluaanto to their own petty squabbles. Ambassador Chris Gregory remains keen to broker peace. And the ship still suffers the after-effects of the viral attack on its systems. When Domain Space ask Assured for transport to a nearby star system to investigate the existence of yet another intelligent species, Gregory and Pan agree. What they find there will test their mettle and their morality … Meanwhile, Xerxian soldier Ana Jogianto labors to shed her past and embrace DCHC values. And Peacekeeper Chipper Tukimatu finds himself embarking on an important recon mission, hoping to avoid further violence. Neither of them can anticipate how much their goals and desires will be thwarted. Neither of them can imagine the enemies they face, from outside of the Assured … and from within it.

The thrilling conclusion to the Envoys trilogy. When the surviving crew and passengers of the Assured find a way out of the Kh'het star system, they believe it's the beginning of the long journey home to the Confederation. But a new and rising power stands in the way of their escape. Some will face the question: are they prepared to die fighting it? While others must decide: if they flee to warn the Confederation, what are they prepared to sacrifice ... and who?