2105, September: Intelligence Analyst Caine Riordan uncovers a conspiracy onEarth’s Moon — a history-changing clandestine project — andends up involuntarily cryocelled for his troubles. Twelve years later, Riordanawakens to a changed world. Humanity has achieved faster-than-light travel andis pioneering nearby star systems. And now, Riordan is compelled to become aninadvertent agent of conspiracy himself. Riordan’s mission: travel to anewly settled world and investigate whether a primitive local species was oncesentient — enough so to have built a lost civilization. However, arrivingon site in the Delta Pavonis system, Caine discovers that the job he’sbeen given is anything but secret or safe. With assassins and saboteurs dogginghis every step, it's clear that someone doesn't want his mission to succeed. Inthe end, it takes the broad-based insights of an intelligence analyst and amatching instinct for intrigue to ferret out the truth: that humanity is neitheralone in the cosmos, nor safe. Discovering new dangers at every turn, Riordanmust now convince the powers-that-be that the only way for humanity to surviveas a free species is to face the perils directly — and to fight fire withfire.

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Visual artist(s): Brandon Peterson