« Guardian of Night » Tony Daniel

Dissident alien commander Arid Ricimer and his human allies, Captain Jim Coalbridge and Lieutenant Commander Griff Leher: courageous and very mortal heroes who must face down the forces of a tyrannical star empire. Captain Arid Ricimer, an alien starship commander with integrity and a clever plan, attempts to defect to Earth with his officers and entire spaceship – a vessel that mounts a superweapon of almost unimaginable power. He’s pursued by his former fleet, a force that has already devastated Earth once and is poised to wipe humanity from existence forever. Yet after years of battling back from the brink of destruction, the U. S. space navy has the war–tested heroes to rise to the challenge, among them attack ship captain Jim Coalbridge and alien analyst, Griff Leher.