Alien Empire

When Karden turned to see live coverage of an alien fleet approaching from the outer edges of the solar system, he knew his world would be changed forever, but little did the aliens, who had ruled the galaxy for thousands of years, know how much he would change theirs.

The protagonist, Haral Karden is wry, skeptical, and the longstanding doyen of his field, the history of first contacts between cultures. The aliens arrive in beautiful ships, with benevolent words, and offering amazing technological gifts, but he asks the simple question – what do they want in return? As ambitious politicians attempt to use the situation to seize power, they instead plunge the world into chaos. Karden and a group of quirky, brilliant warm-humored friends uncover the true nature of the aliens, the weaknesses of their ancient galaxy-spanning civilization, and what they will do if their offer is refused. In the process, they become the unlikely leaders of a galactic revolution.