Dek Conrad's secret plan had been to save humanity. But he might have doomed it instead.

Conrad thought things were bad when he and his team discovered a single star system scoured of intelligent life. That was before they found a dozen more.

At great risk, Conrad's team learned how their enemy exterminated all intelligent life in those star system. Many of his people had died for that information. He nearly joined them.

Conrad's team races to build an arsenal using technology so new they barely understand it. If they don't perfect the weapons soon, their oasis at Sirius might be the next target for extinction. And it's only nine light years from there to Earth.