Book excerpt: The seventh novel in the Equations series: Omega has proved a match for Earther wits, and for Earther arms. Now, as his plague ships simultaneously threaten the Larosian galaxy, the human Freetown colony, and the Krogg homeworld, the Earthers must scramble to adapt to a new kind of warfare. Fleets are restored, marines deployed, and the quest for a cure to the plague continues, but whether these efforts will be enough to stop Omega remains unclear. The self-proclaimed 'God' of the Earthers seems omnipresent... can he be stopped? Supreme Consul Setter Caine, his son Phealan, and the great Earther leaders must rally their people to face Omega's horror, but even as they prepare for a final clash with their nemesis, the Allies' old enemies, the Kroggs, prepare to unleash a secret of their own...