Birthright (Spenser)

The Deus are not supposed to interfere with mortals. But when a prophecy foretells the fall of the entire galaxy, the gods must look beyond the pantheon for help. Marissa and Arc Rhapsody escaped a life as gladiator slaves to take entirely different paths. Arc put his violent past behind him to become a diplomat, while Marissa returned to the only thing she was good at: fighting. Uncommon strength is the gift, and the curse, of her half-Deus heritage. When a simple treaty negotiation goes terribly wrong and Arc disappears, war between two galactic powers begins to brew. Marissa isn't the only one searching for answers, but clues are scarce and time is short. If her alliance of smugglers, mercenaries, and truthseekers can't find answers soon, the prophecy will come to pass, and the galaxy will be doomed.

Across the galaxy, mysteries deepen and threats increase. On Utopia, home of the peacekeeping Rashani, anti-neutrality protests teeter on the brink of riots. On the outskirts of the galaxy, the Sun God finds a derelict spaceship that somehow crossed the supposedly-impenetrable Firmament, its purpose still unknown. And on a storm-wracked jungle world, the first battle of a war between the main galactic powers approaches. Marissa Rhapsody, half-Deus gladiator, has recovered from battle only to be targeted by mysterious assassins. She accompanies a diplomatic mission to escape from her pursuers, but a potential war zone is a poor place to find safety. The Bythos Empire is fast approaching to conquer the primitive world of Tashwa. The diplomats desperately trying to sway the fearsome and secretive Kunalim are about to get caught in the middle of the biggest firefight in the galaxy in centuries.