The Phoenix Conspiracy Series

On the surface, the galaxy seems peaceful. Humankind prospers from the Capital World to the far reaches of The Corridor. But to those who can see the signs, it's clear something is wrong. Long, dark fingers are pulling strings inside the military, making clandestine deals with enemy states, and fulfilling some dark design. Calvin is an intelligence agent working for the Imperial government. He's young, his methods are unorthodox, but he gets results. So when a former military hero steals a warship and goes rogue--threatening to start a war, Calvin is sent to eliminate him. But as he chases his prey across the stars, he realizes they are both pawns in a shadowy chess game that shakes kingdoms, divides empires, and threatens civilization everywhere. And if he is to uncover the mystery and expose the conspiracy he must confront--and embrace--the darkest elements of the galaxy and throw himself, his career, and everyone he loves into the line of fire.

As the most serious threat ever facing the galaxy now looms over them—weapons able to destroy stars—Calvin and his enterprising crew continue their mission to expose and eliminate the dark conspiracy that has taken root inside the Empire. Now a fugitive on the run, Calvin has no choice but to work alongside Raidan’s mysterious Organization. And accept help from the unlikeliest band of fair-weather friends, including a mysterious squad of Polarian soldiers, an ex-intelligence-operative from the Rotham Republic, and the ever elusive Tristan—whose truest motives are a closely guarded secret. To make matters worse, Calvin is hunted mercilessly across the stars by Intel Wing’s top operative, Lafayette Nimoux, who is aided by a double-agent on Calvin’s own ship. Meanwhile the sands of fortune are shifting within the Empire, upsetting the delicate political climate. Warships and civilian transports are vanishing without a trace and murders in the dark are going unnoticed. All eyes are fixed on Renora—a human colony that has been savagely attacked and thrown into civil war. The prime suspect behind the attack is none other than Princess Kalila Akira. All the dark signs are pointing to what could be the death of the Empire, and the end of human dominance in the galaxy.

A storm is brewing. Eager war fleets patrol the edges of human space, waiting. The leaders of the Phoenix Conspiracy are poised to usher in The Hour of Ascension. And it is up to Calvin to expose the conspiracy before the Empire collapses in a firestorm of civil war. Deadly isotome weapons remain at large, forces across every border are arming for war, and now even the monarchy itself is threatened by the chaos. From the blood-soaked soil of Renora, where the very strength of the Empire is tested, to the political maneuverings of the Imperial Assembly, the stability that once safeguarded human-kind is now merely a memory. Meanwhile the deadliest assassin in the galaxy lurks in the shadows, ready to change the course of history—if his god wills it. And Shen's life hangs by a thread. The Organization, the Akiras, CERKO, the Advent, the Phoenix Ring... it all comes down to this moment. And the question on everyone's mind is, can the Empire survive? Or will it be lost to the tempest.

A fearful Empire anticipates King Akira's next move: will he abandon them to the corrupt hands of Caerwyn Martel or doom them to bloody civil war, leaving them defenseless against an imminent alien invasion? Just beyond human space, the crows are circling. Across the DMZ, the Rotham Republic prepares its war fleets with hungry eyes fixed on the weakened Empire. Spurred on to war by the pervasive Rahajiim, a shadowy organization that has struck a dark deal with the nightmarish Enclave. Meanwhile Summers races to destroy the rest of the isotome weapons before they are used, Nimoux struggles to escape an unlikely prison planet, Shen copes with his strange new life, and Calvin hunts for the true puppetmaster. Desperate to discover the deepest layer of the conspiracy before it's too late. And in the shadows behind it all, Blackmoth brews a storm of chaos, hell-bent on subjecting the galaxy to the dark design of his One-True-God.

The hour is grim for the Empire, which has split into opposing sides. Civil War rages between Queen Kalila Akira and Steward Caerwyn Martel. As all Imperial forces are dragged into the conflict, threatening to destroy the once mighty Imperial fleet, enemies abroad have their sights set on the juicy, and ever more defenseless, human worlds. Rotham invasion seems imminent and unstoppable. Summers and the Nighthawk race against Blackmoth and Tristan, each hoping to reach Zander first, and get to his stockpile of isotome weapons. Meanwhile Raidan has underhanded plans. Calvin and his team venture into Rotham space to spy on the enemy. It is vital that they collect intelligence on the Rotham fleet and get it back to the queen so she can stop any Rotham invasion. But, unbeknownst to them, one member of the team is a traitor, and has put them all in grave danger. In the deepest regions of Forbidden Space, whispers abound that the Dread Fleet has awoken, charged with the purpose of purging the galaxy, and bringing to pass the Final Darkness.

As Kalila's forces battle the Rotham invasion, Blackmoth is attempting to detonate an isotome weapon in close proximity. After a coup against White Rook, Raidan now controls the Organization. He has taken his remaining warships to Capital World, the planet he loves most in the galaxy, and is threatening to destroy it, unless Caerwyn Martel is surrendered to his custody. Calvin has returned to the Nighthawk and together he and his crew attempt their most dangerous adventure yet, an excursion into Forbidden Space where, Calvin believes, he will uncover the ultimate truths behind the remaining secrets. Including who the mysterious human is that the Rahajiim intelligence failed to identify. Rain and Calvin have developed romantic feelings for one another, but can there be any future for the stalwart adventurer and dying doctor? Summers also has feelings for Calvin, though she denies them. Tristan demands what was promised. Nimoux struggles to recover from a gunshot wound. Rez’nac is desperate to reclaim his honor. Shen wants desperately for Sarah to give him another chance—meanwhile he must struggle with the debilitating pain of The Calling. The Khans threaten to take Aleator One, with the help of the vicious Enclave. All the while, the Dread Fleet has begun its campaign of extermination, starting with the Polarian Worlds it deems too secular. Their unstoppable march of death and devastation leads them to human space where, either the Empire will find some way to stop them, or else humanity will fall as fulfillment of Polarian prophecy. The Final Battle. The Final Darkness. The Final Reckoning!

Death. Destruction. Despair. These are the hallmarks of the Dread Fleet. It is an unstoppable force that, when summoned to do so, will scourge the galaxy in a Holy Reckoning, seeking to purify the many inhabitable worlds through a merciless outpouring of fire. Calvin and his crew have a plan to stop this Reckoning once and for all, but their odds of success are slim. Meanwhile Queen Kalila stands against the mighty Dread Fleet with the all the strength of the war-torn and broken remains of the Empire. Alex, meanwhile, tries to manipulate his own people into joining the battle--knowing that once the Dread Fleet has eliminated humanity, it will be coming for the Rotham next. In this the finale to The Phoenix Conspiracy Series there is death, sacrifice, gloom, doom, despair, and tragedy ... all in the forlorn hope that somehow the heroes may prevail. And, behind the curtains of it all, lurks a dark figure, whose must cross paths with Calvin, and their meeting could turn deadly.