This is a sequel to Hunter's Time and picks up precisely where the first book ended. Hunter and Keen escape the dwarf planet Ceres, traveling at superluminal speed in the unique starship Astraios, bound for Alpha Centauri. Upon arrival, a hidden planet is found to be orbiting twin stars, and is determined suitable to support human life, as evidenced by the people already living there. The inhabitants exist in fear of cyclical devastation at the hands of strange creatures coming from the sky. Hunter and Keen vow to help end the destruction by confronting their merciless enemy. Soon they learn the true nature of the beasts, which takes them back into space in search of the race responsible for the routine ruin. They manage to locate the beings they are looking for, but are not welcome guests, and certainly not receptive to interference.Hunter's power-hungry father's bold new vision for humanity progresses with the launch of a series of arks, generation starships, looking to establish the first human colony outside of Earth's Solar System. One of them is enroute to Alpha Centauri and will soon learn of Hunter's presence and the possibility of cohabitation with the people who were there before them.As man's reach extends farther into our solar system, there is resistance to the accepted order of things, a dark force emerges, threatening the pursuit of peaceful expansion. Advances in technology benefit the good as well as the evil. Humanity learns a secret that will change them forever.Follow old and new characters across light years of space as they discover things about themselves and the universe.