Following disastrous first contact, a reckless plan is hatched. Lieutenant Sante and his platoon of Marines, including the irrepressible Sanderson, remain stranded on a hostile planet. Maverick corvette captain Karl Zenke is one of the captains dispatched to rescue them, along with the priceless information they possess.Contact is lost with the Brahma system shortly after the Imperial Survey ship Profectus, following their escape from the Globurs, transmits limited details of first contact on a high energy transit through the system. Humanity has grown complacent, thinking they were alone in the galaxy. At the Gateway base, stunned by the loss of his ships, Rear Admiral Shin prepares Fleet task force 3 to defend the rim worlds. Nothing can prepare them for the Onslaught.