DEATH IS THE ONLY WAY OUT Astralis is surrounded. The lost Etherian fleet has arrived with old friends at the helm, but the Faros are there, too, and they’re demanding we give them the lost fleet, or else. Lucien Ortane is determined to fight, while everyone else fears defeat and wants to negotiate, including his wife, Tyra. They argue that the Faros’ fight is with Etherus and the Etherians, not humanity, but when the Faros realize that Astralis planned to warn Etheria of the coming invasion, their focus shifts to humanity instead, and negotiations fail. The future of humanity and countless other species hangs in the balance. They are badly outnumbered—a million to one. If war breaks out, the Faros will win, and countless trillions of people will be killed or enslaved. There is only one path to victory, but will Lucien have the courage to take it?