The Fleet thought the wars were over, but as a deadly race of insectoid invaders, the Ichton, sweep through the galaxy, races new to the Alliance are in dire need of aid. Star Central answers with the mammoth battlestation Stephen Hawking. The Hawking takes the fight beyond the boundaries of human space where the Ichton prove to be a formidable foe. Meanwhile, within the pseudoplanet's stratified decks, the pressures of constant combat and close quarters may become the enemy's most dangerous advantage. For the first time in one volume: the complete stories of the Stephen Hawking, its multi-race military and civilian crew, and its desperate fight against the Ichton.