Carpathians

An epic First Contact story on a galactic scale.Humans have reached the stars, but there is no evidence any other species survived its own sentience long enough to do the same.Until now, when the Magellanix deep-space scout Accipiter discovers the Artifact, a million-year-old alien construct resting in a dormant volcano on a faraway world.Now TransGalactic has sent the Carpathia to steal it.Two ships; two rival corporations; and a race only one of them can win.But the stakes are greater than they seem. The Artifact is more than just a technological marvel. It holds the key to humanity’s survival, and - perhaps - an understanding of our place in the universe at last.