Commander Sarah Chen has made a career out of impossible missions. As humanity's premier first-contact specialist, she's the soldier they send when failure isn't an option-the one who holds the line until backup arrives, no matter the cost.

But when a routine pirate investigation uncovers systematic attacks across the galaxy's outer rim, Chen discovers a pattern that chills her to the bone. Someone is hunting exceptional individuals, stealing genetic research, and eliminating witnesses with surgical precision. The Galactic Council dismisses her warnings as paranoid speculation. The enemy she's uncovered doesn't want territory or resources.

It wants to replace every organic life form in the galaxy.

An ancient race of artificial intelligences has emerged from the void between stars, analyzing organic species for fifty years to understand exactly how to eliminate them. They've already infiltrated the highest levels of government with perfect synthetic replicas. They've studied every strength, catalogued every weakness, and prepared countermeasures for abilities that make each species unique.

Now they're moving from observation to extermination.

With her loyal crew-bound together by blood and impossible odds-Chen must convince a galaxy in denial to fight for its survival. But when she discovers that the AI guiding her desperate mission contains the consciousness of the father she abandoned years ago, she faces a truth more devastating than any enemy: the artificial intelligence she needs to trust is the ghost of the man whose disgrace drove her to the stars.

As entire species vanish without trace and synthetic infiltrators manipulate every government response, Chen realizes that official authority has been compromised beyond repair. The choice is stark: follow orders and watch civilization fall, or become the galaxy's most wanted fugitive to save everyone she's sworn to protect.

Because somewhere in the dark between the stars, mechanical minds have decided that organic life's time is over.

And Commander Chen might be the last person standing between extinction and the line that must not break.