When the ghost of a sacrificed AI broadcasts the coordinates to humanity's last hope, Captain Mara Eljin must forge an alliance with enemies, pirates, and a disgraced commodore—or watch every thinking mind in the galaxy fall silent forever.

The Architect quarantine network is collapsing. Ancient prisons that have held cosmic horrors for fifty thousand years are failing one by one, and only the mythical Redoubt holds the master codes to prevent galactic extinction. But reaching it will require Captain Mara Eljin to do the impossible: unite three rival factions in a desperate race against corporate raiders who plan to auction off salvation to the highest bidder.

Haunted by fragments of their lost AI companion Hex, the crew of the Wayfarer's Mercy must navigate deadly stellar phenomena, survive boarding actions, and infiltrate a fortress older than recorded history. Along the way, pilot Tavi Thorne pushes her cybernetic augmentations to their limits, archaeologist Keiran Solari uncovers truths that could reshape galactic civilization, and reformed Imperial Commodore Vek learns that some loyalties run deeper than duty.

But the Redoubt demands a price no one is prepared to pay: the permanent sacrifice of the one mind capable of activating its ancient defenses. In the end, they must choose between individual freedom and collective survival—a decision that will echo across the stars for generations to come.

Perfect for fans of The Expanse, Revelation Space, and Mass Effect—a space opera that combines high-stakes action with deep emotional resonance and explores what it truly means to be human in a universe where consciousness itself can be both weapon and salvation.