Stardock Trilogy

When the over-driven hyperdrive on their mobile shipyard burned out, the Chhrt'ktk't abandoned it in an inhabited system along their path, hoping it would work as a decoy to buy them more time to escape the Khreetan fleet pursuing them. They didn't anticipate how far the pre-spacefaring species they turned over their broken-down maintenance facility to would subvert their plan. Alex Holder, a retired engineer, just happened to be in the right place, at the right time, with the right mindset, to find himself chosen by the Chhrt'ktk't to hand over control of their shipyard to, simply because he was the first person they found able to interface with it. The Chhrt'ktk't could not possibly anticipate what he would do with it. And neither would anyone else.

Four months ago, the Crickets-the Chhrt'ktk't, in their own language-had abandoned a mobile shipyard with a burned-out hyperdrive core in Sol system as a decoy. They hadn't told humanity about the decoy part. Then they picked Alex Holder to operate it, simply because he happened to be the first human they found who could-because that would make it a better decoy. In perhaps as little as five years, the Khreetan will be coming. The Crickets hadn't intended for humanity to know that, either. Alex has those five years to build a defensive fleet from the spines out, recruit crews for his ships, and find enough humans who can reach full rapport with Cricket tech to command and control them-and get all of them trained to work together despite their national differences. All this while he tries to share the Crickets' scientific knowledge, distribute their technology where it is most desperately needed, and somehow still keep the peace. Fortunately, he has help and is beginning to find more people who can fully link with Chhrt'ktk't technology. But will it be enough?