New Rus McLaughlin

From wildly imaginative debut author Rus McLaughlin comes an epic space opera where a devastating interstellar war looms between godlike alien empires, and only Earth’s most infamous diplomat is willing to stop it… if anyone can.

“There’s a reason you don’t have any friends left, Middleman.”

Out on the edge of the Known, war is brewing.

The hyper-violent Recalte want a renaissance for their waning empire, and they’re picking a fight with their godlike neighbors to get it. The Hayaomaikan are beyond understanding, and first on the list of universal superpowers. They demand to be left alone. When the escalating conflict spills into EarthCorp space with tragic results, humanity’s CEOs see an opportunity.

Enter Ambassador Gatz “Middleman” Vorshack, a man who has spent three years on EarthCorp’s blacklist. He’s eager to defy the Company’s ruthless zero-sum approach, and negotiating a peace between the Recalte and Hayaomaikan is his chance to finally return to prominence. His last chance.

But hidden players are setting Vorshack up to fail. Because war means profit, and victory grants the winners access to a terrifying new technology.