The search for knowledge will be the salvation of mankind... or the destruction of the universe.The temptation of ancient wisdom proved too much for them to resist. Now, Hiroko and Cedric must each face the consequences of the secrets they unlocked—and the terrors they recklessly unleashed.Mission 9: Void KrakenUnleashed from an alternate universe, the space-borne leviathan dubbed "void kraken" terrorizes the galaxy. The most powerful weapons barely scratch it. Whole fleets fall before it. Its movements are erratic. Its motives inscrutable. All anyone knows for sure is that if it isn't stopped, it's going to eat its way through the galaxy.Mission 10: Stellar RampageThe galaxy is in a state of panic. A horror has been unleashed, and it's a threat to every inhabited planet. Luckily, it currently rampages across a sparsely populated part of the Black Ocean. But even that callous view only hold limited hope for the fortunate species whose worlds lay safer by virtue of distance. Sooner or later, someone is going to have to destroy it.Mission 11: Core ThreatThe galaxy has gone from troubled to doomed. Now faced with a multiplying threat, the races of the Milky Way are faced with a foe who cannot be stopped, cannot be turned back. And yet, for the sake of their own survival, they fight on in the desperate hope that they can hold out long enough to prevail. And they're running out of time. One of the ARGO core worlds may be next on the menu for the world-devouring monsters.Mission 12: Terminal GambitCedric has discovered the means to fight back, but the price is high. Not all species are capable of carrying out his methods. It's one thing asking ships and crews to fight; it's another to ask them to sacrifice themselves. And yet, the valiant ships of Earth Navy continue to do so. If only the rest of the galaxy were so brave.Short Story: Mission 12.5 Two Roads DivergedTwo heroes? Two villains? A mix of both? However galactic history comes to view Cedric and Hiroko, they take very different paths to their ultimate destinies.