Joe is nearing the end of a long deployment, and he's looking forward to some home leave so he can visit his daughter. His last assignment takes him to Earth, humanity's deserted homeworld, to learn why all contact has been lost with the Subverse - the digital utopia where most of humanity now lives. He's expecting the answer to be boring. Probably, rats chewed their way into the server room again. He couldn't be more wrong. He finds a pirate impersonating the corporal responsible for guarding the Subverse terminal. Then he visits Earth's last settlement to find everyone dead...except the children, who have all been taken. These clues lead Joe on an epic journey across a dying galaxy, with just his training and skill to rely on. Joe is the last person anyone would want the fate of humanity to depend on. He's also the only person willing to do what needs to be done.