Revolution in the outer fringes of the vast Solar Empire blossomed into a full collapse toward its inner core, leaving the scattered fringes isolated and disorganized. A powerful new rival to the old empire's ancient glory eventually arose from those ashes, a fringe empire growing far beyond the first few local star systems to crush all challengers in a series of brutal campaigns. Now the New Empire launches yet another campaign, and this one will take it deeper than ever into the old empire's former realm. Its target is the small Hellsbridge Sub-Federation Tri-System, but when the assault begins with a force that should have been overwhelming, the initial results are at first disappointing, and then disastrous. As reinforcements are fed into the battle, it quickly becomes a clash of interstellar empires, involving far more than Hellsbridge. A door has been opened into the deep unknown, and something is coming.