But the universe it finds is a dangerous place filled with hidden powers. Humanity is only a minor space-faring species on the fringe of a ferociously political arena where ancient and enormous alien empires are engaged in millennia-old struggles for supremacy.
Now, on a desolate, barren world far from the heart of civilization, Gretchen Andersson, a young human xeno-archeologist is about to discover an awesome, long-buried secret that could alter the galactic balance of power forever.