mj kirby

The Aftermath of a stunning victory—especially an unexpected, complete, and final victory—should be high-fives all around, listening to politicians give boring congratulatory speeches, and a well-deserved rest for the Merry Band of Pirates. Yes, the galaxy is still a freakin' mess, but that is nothing new, and for a change, that can be someone else's problem. Until, you know, something really bad happens, and only the Pirates can deal with the problem... Or not.

Mysterious gateways are appearing throughout the universe, bridging violent civilizations, leading to war, and sowing chaos. While some species succumb to the pandemonium, the Chut’un forge an unholy symbiotic relationship—The Order—with red Europhids, a vast hive intelligence populating the universe’s far reaches. Desiring structure and fearing the unknown, they cull everything opposed to their plan, including the Europhids’ blue counterparts, carrying out a galactic genocide until only one blue Europhid remains...inside Moses Montgomery, a.k.a. "Dark Horse".

Return to Trinity where Earth had first discovered intelligent life that allowed them admittance into the Cooperative League of Systems. Through friendship and understanding the men and women of StarBridge are forming bonds with the natives. In the skies of Trinity, the birdlike Grus welcome the deaf human ambassador, Tesa. In the seas of Trinity, the aquatic Singers communicate with the young StarBridge student, Jib. But on the surface of Trinity, an alien life form has landed, and these amphibious beings from a distant world are definitely not friendly.