Book excerpt: The conclusion to Kevin Emerson’s epic, which Tui Sutherland, New York Times bestselling author of the Wings of Fire series, has called “perfect science fiction.” It is Earth year 2256—but the fate of the few who even remember Earth is perilously in doubt. Mina Saunders-Chang and many of the surviving humans are stranded in the Centauri system, having barely survived their confrontation with the Telphon refugees. Now everyone—human and Telphon alike—is caught in the blast zone of the Centauri supernova. And yet there’s only one question Mina is asking: Where are Liam and Phoebe? Having barely made it through the battle at the Centauri system with their lives, Liam and Phoebe awake on a mysterious ship in the middle of a dead universe. The ship bears the markings of a human starliner that disappeared decades ago—but even more disturbing than that is the massive alien machine floating in the starless space before them. A machine long abandoned but now showing signs of life. A machine that has begun speaking to Liam in a voice only he can hear. . . .