Bones of the Emperor

Humanity, obsessed with materialism and devoid of spirituality, is in trouble. Culturally stagnant, despite its technological achievements humankind has advanced little intellectually and morally. Having accidentally developed the means to travel faster than light, humans blunder out into the galaxy under the arrogant assumption they are masters of all they survey. In doing so they encounter an adversary who seeks to block their way, resulting in a war of attrition lasting over a century. After finally negotiating an uneasy peace with an adversary whom they have never actually seen face-to-face, humanity seeks to literally go around and continue expansion into the heart of the galaxy. In doing so, humans cross paths with an even more aggressive enemy expanding in the opposite direction, an enemy which regards humanity as nothing more than vermin to be swept aside and eradicated. Second Lieutenant Zhou Wen and Task Force RF-19.2 discovers, much to their horror, that this new enemy is on a direct path to Earth.