The Empire has existed for 156,000 years, risen beyond a galactic empire of dinosaurs intent on wiping out Humanity only to face an intergalactic scourge known as the Hadarak. They've rescued thousands of alien races and incorporated them into their Human-led empire, building a civilization that draws onlookers from numerous galaxies to try and figure out the secret of their success. But today is the day when the Empire learns the truth. They weren't the first ones to do this...and that success is punishable with death. Or worse. Fortunately, those other civilizations left notes behind, knowing they were doomed, in the hopes that another in the future might learn enough to be able to survive the gauntlet of extra-galactic invasions that destroyed them and the long line of their predecessors. The Gauntlet Wars are about to happen again. Will the Empire suffer the same fate as all those before them? Or will they break the cycle and find a way to survive the impossible onslaught?

The invasion of the Milky Way has begun, and the Empire is winning easily, but when it becomes clear that the war with the Asferja will be nowhere near an end before the next invasion arrives and forces them to split their focus, Paul is tapped to lead a small team to the nearby galaxy of Andromeda where the Asferja intergalactic 'threads' are tethered, with more being created as the war goes on. But the Empire can't send a warfleet with him. The Essence cost of intergalactic travel would be far too high, but thanks to their alliance with the Neofan they have another option. Paul and a few others from the Empire are going to take Vikarathe to Andromeda and use his status with the Vargemma there to quickly assemble a warfleet and strike the Asferja from the rear, cutting the 'threads' and taking some pressure off the Milky Way as they prep for round two to arrive...all the while still fighting the Hadarak in the center of the galaxy. The number of enemy races is going to build fast and attempt to overwhelm the Empire, and drawing some of the fight to Andromeda will be a key strategic move this early in the Gauntlet Wars...but it will also imperil the native races in Andromeda, some of which belong to the Bond of Resistance and are already fighting the Asferja and losing territory to them as the insectoid race is not just passing through, but setting up breeding grounds to grow more troops locally before sending them into the Milky Way to hammer the Empire indefinitely. The only way to stop this unending stream of 'bugs' is to not just strike at them in Andromeda, but to move in permanently. Only by conquering the galaxy and expanding the Empire can they blunt this attack. To do so they'll need the Empire's best naval commander and an army of civilians, troops, scientists, techs, and everything else necessary to annex Andromeda. It is said that the true power of the lightside takes time to build, and does so off past actions. The Empire now has a chance to colonize Andromeda in a short period of time due to one such past action. An act of mercy. Paul may be the one to lead the Vargemma against the threads, but the future of Andromeda comes down to another part of the Empire that wouldn't exist if not for the actions of a single enemy commander who tried to take his own life and was stopped by Paul long, long ago before recruiting him to fight for the good guys. He didn't even have a name back then, an anonymous individual in a massive swarm race. But Paul did give him a name, one revered by the Empire from its ancient mythology, for it's match with his mastermind skills. While the Vargemma and Paul fight to protect the Milky Way, the fate of Andromeda will come down to the civilization building powers of the Paladin under the leadership of the individual simply known as...Thrawn.

The war in the Milky Way galaxy is still in its infancy, but the strategy of the enemy is becoming clear...establish footholds no matter the cost, through which other races will then pour in and begin the galactic purge slugging match full force. The Andromeda galaxy is one of the waypoints to get to the Asferja foothold in the Milky Way Rim. The other is the Jaegger invasion of the massive black holes in the galactic core, none of which it has completely claimed, but the road is open for yet a 4th invading race to arrive whenever they decide to show up as Mak'to'ran cannot completely shut them out. Meanwhile Paul continues his campaign of terror against the Asferja Galactic Threads as a reluctant Vikarathe begins the construction of a new Neofan House out of the remnants of their race. Those remnants are hundreds of thousands, if not millions of years old, and a resource not easily or quickly replaced, so recovering and rehabilitating them is a critical mission that leads the newly minted Neofan Reignor across multiple galaxies to sweep up the exiled scraps of his once formerly glorious race in an effort to build an army to fight the forces of the T'fen wherever they show up in the pair of besieged galaxies. While this is happening, the Hadarak war is still raging, but with more systems cleared and converts gained as the Jedein numbers grow with each captured Hadarak Warden, freed of its genetic shackles, but the process is taking too long and the Hadarak zone will not be cleared until well after this Gauntlet War is over...if the Empire and its allies survive that long. But one of the many strengths of Star Force is its fractured design. The Empire is broken down into Factions and Kingdoms, with each able to operate independently of the others. There is no capitol to take, no key system or two that will cause the others to fall when deprived of. Star Force was built during the V'kit'no'sat War, and as a result has always been growing into a form to fight an intergalactic invasion such as this. The outcome is uncertain, but one thing that is painfully obvious to both sides is that this war will not be over quickly. A century would be overly optimistic. This is true galactic warfare, and the mismatch the invading forces hoped for has quickly vanished. It's a slugfest now, and the true might of the elite civilizations from dozens of galaxies will be tested in a way never before seen as many of them are being forced to invade the Empire...else they become the target of another Gauntlet War for their disobedience.

The Paladin's quest to save the Andromeda galaxy begins to escalate as they seize a disputed planet from two obstinate lower level races who are blocking travel and commerce through it that other systems are depending upon to fuel the war effort against the Asferja. The thing is, after the Paladin uncork the traffic jam, they're not giving the planet back for the malcontents to muck up a second time...and that doesn't go over very well with the locals.

A Gauntlet War may seem inevitable. Multiple dominant races from different galaxies converge to annihilate you before retreating to their secret lairs waiting to be called out again. But the truth is, nothing is inevitable. And those conducting the invasions know this far better than their victims...

Three years have passed for Ginsi, aka 'Uuba Fett.' During those three years she has trained non-stop under Morgan's relentless direction, regaining some semblance of her former self, but word finally comes that Star Force and the Neofan have finished their prototype essence shield drainer and they need to test it with her integrated...in battle.

(The Star Force Universe has over 340,000 sales and 300 million pages read) With the Jaegers blunted and switching tactics, a new reality sets in for the Milky Way. Constant defense with no hope of ending the war, only surviving perpetual attacks by an enemy from other galaxies. The trailblazers know this story well, from the original Alamo. Now they have to figure out how to break the deadlock, John Wayne style.