Acting on cryptic orders, Special Agent Liam Ward of the Interstellar Navy Investigations Agency (INIA) joins the crew of the Unified Earth Government Ship Dauntless, a modified fast-attack craft, as rumors of an alien invasion mount. Humanity recently discovered that though it was not alone in the universe, it was unique-all other surviving species are synthetic in nature. Many of these alien species are outright hostile toward human civilization, with its mix of biological and artificial citizenry. Ward and his new crewmates chase down leads involving the suspicious orders behind his last mission, which took place aboard the battlecruiser Lincoln. The investigation takes them to unexpected places full of surprises, but one possibility is the most shocking: Someone aboard the Dauntless may be working against them. Ward will have to decide who he can trust as the small, multi-agency crew attempts to expose an alien conspiracy in the Interstellar Navy, and potentially the Government itself, before fears of an invasion become realized.