Everything is going great in the Milky Way Galaxy. Adam's immortal mutant alien daughter Lila is running the Expansion, and the Orion-Cygnus Union is experiencing its first period of peace and tranquility since its founding. Yet things are not as idyllic as they seem . . . A new alien threat has entered the galaxy, bringing with it a level of pragmatic barbarism unmatched by anyone in the Milky Way. Add to this, an ancient home-grown power has returned, curious to see the results of its three-billion-year-long galactic experiment. Now Adam Cain and his team are forced into an elaborate contest against a variety of other species to see who in the galaxy lives or dies. To face his greatest challenge, Adam receives the help of some old enemies, including the mutants Panur and the former Sol-Kor queen, J'nae. But as we find out, even immortals are over-matched against this ancient entity and the invaders from Andromeda. Yet as so many before them have done, the one thing these new aliens have underestimated: Adam Cain and his friends . . . Oops!