What glitters is gold, but beneath it is rot. Humanity has a sprawling interstellar empire. Advances in science and the resources of countless frontier worlds have brought untold prosperity to its citizens. But how much of this wealth comes from dangerous experiments with alien technology? As an elite intelligence operative, that question plagues Gabriel Thorn constantly. When contact is lost with a mysterious research facility, he is sent to investigate. But he finds a web of secrecy and lies which extends through the corridors of power and industry, and finds himself unprepared to confront the ancient evil buried deep within.

Far beyond Human space, a massive alien vessel appears, its systems badly damaged and its crew slaughtered in a mysterious ambush in the depths of the void. The emaciated survivors can only identify their attackers by one word: voidstalker. A year has passed since the events of Voidstalker, and Gabriel cannot forgive the DNI for its role in those events…or forget what he saw. Unknown to him, his enigmatic superiors in the DNI are pressing ahead with plans for his family long in the making, and his wife Aster will find herself trapped between their web of conspiracies and forces determined to thwart them. Meanwhile, the DNI receives disturbing intelligence about why the alien vessel was attacked in the first place, and Gabriel is sent deep into uncharted space to investigate. Far beyond the safety of Humanity’s frontiers, Gabriel is forced to contend with sinister alien forces who will stop at nothing to bend an ancient abomination to their inscrutable wills. Humanity is not the only race that would sacrifice everything for absolute power.

Dozens died in the attacks, driven mad with fear by a hallucinogenic toxin . . . and it was all just a smokescreen. A mysterious network of saboteurs has emerged from the shadows to present the DNI with its greatest threat in recent memory. The discovery of a mole proves to be only the tip of the iceberg as the DNI’s investigation reveals a web of influence with puppets in high places – and they want Gabriel to stay out of it. Rankling at his superiors’ orders not to get involved and determined to find out the truth for himself, Gabriel begins digging for answers on his own. But as he works to uncover the network’s shadowy agenda, the DNI is also working to keep him in the dark for his own good. Because the leader of this network is his own father.

Evil sleeps until the unwary disturb it. On an underdeveloped desert planet, a prospecting expedition unwittingly unearths something that should have stayed buried – something as ancient as it is malevolent. Meanwhile, Colonel Gabriel Thorn has his own demons to wrestle with. The DNI insists on keeping their most capable operative on a tight leash. They already control his past and his present, and it seems they also have a hand in his future. His wife Aster is growing frustrated with the control that the DNI has over their family. Their children are now well aware that they share their unique genetic gifts with their father and no one else, and they wonder what his superiors have in store for them. But all of that pales in comparison to the peril emerging within Humanity’s borders. When a distress call from a desert colony world is received, the DNI dispatches Gabriel to confront a threat that only he can face. If he fails, the Swarm will devour them all.