A vicious assault. A star's destruction. 112 survivors out of 47 billion.A peaceful and technologically advanced species is mysteriously attacked. Young introvert Aliel is the only surviving officer on her ship and she is plunged into command of her wrecked vessel. Learning she and her crew are possibly all that remains of their race, the once timid Aliel becomes the defacto leader of her people and proves to be a savvy and gifted commander.However, with their species on the brink of annihilation, she grows increasingly protective as the pressure of command begins to cloud her judgment and sense of right and wrong. As lucid nightmares of alternate realities challenge her sanity, her decisions become volatile and often violent, and her treatment of captured enemies crosses legal lines of decency becoming war crimes, leaving her crew facing difficult choices.A group of rescued officers learn of her crimes and openly oppose her, leading to a physical struggle as her descent into madness fuels her ambition for absolute control. Not only is the fate of her species in peril, but its core identity has been challenged as Aliel establishes what she calls her Novo Ordine.Along the way, Aliel and crew encounter black holes, the multiverse, and time dilation. The first book in the ongoing series. Graphic violence. See also- Aliel: The Edge of Conquest, Aliel: The Wake of Calypse, Aliel: Hunter Gatherer, Aliel: The Agglomerate Concussion.
