Third in the Transcendental Machine series...Riley and Asha must save the Federation from an unknown invader.Planets at the edge of the Federation have fallen silent. The arrogant Federation bureaucracy grudgingly send Riley and Asha to investigate. They join forces with a planetary A.I., a paranoid Federation watchdog, and a member of a splinter group who vows to destroy the A.I. No one trusts anyone or their motives.They need to find common ground and the answer in order to confront an enemy even more ancient and powerful than the Transcendentals.