The Shadow Among The Stars: Book One of the Dread Naught Trilogy
In the far future, humanity has overcome many of its structural and prejudicial shackles. We have spread through the stars to explore and learn, unhindered by many of the mistakes that had plagued our civilizations and institutions for so long. <br> <br>Alongside the mighty Astral Marine Corps, Humanity's future is safeguarded by the Colonial Special Operations Executive. The CSOE protects Humankind from disasters of every sort through diplomatic, logistical, and sometimes subversive means. For the most important and trying tasks (such as flash point crises and the assessment of little-understood dangers) the CSOE deploys an Operative, an eminently capable individual trained to handle almost any eventuality. Though few in number, they are the most well-known and lauded portion of the venerable organization. <br> <br>The greatest of the CSOE's Operatives is Dame Bryluen Branok. Her face is known from the Qixing Commonwealth to the Ly Aulth Stellar Confederacy, and her name has long been a byword for courage and heroism. She is simultaneously an iconic inspiration to Humanity, and one of the most feared executors of its will. <br> <br>When a poorly understood threat strikes a remote research outpost, Bryluen is the prime choice to investigate. Despite decades of experience even she has seen nothing like the foe she encounters, and the aftermath of the attack opens up a bevy of questions. Soon the CSOE charges Bryluen with a task for which she was born: to gather a unique strike team and confront a danger that threatens the very existence of civilization.