Shadow Stars

Earth won its freedom. Now it must fight to keep it.
Humanity fought and won its freedom by establishing a fragile peace with the two great powers-the Qash'vo'tar and the Zhal Confederation-by bringing them proof that their ancient enemy, the Val'ayash, survived the great war. But despite that, Earth is still a minor player in a wider galaxy, with only one advantage. Magic.
Two years after Earth won its freedom, the tensions between the three star nations are rising. And United Terran Systems council knows that it is only a matter of time before the two great powers pressure humanity for the secrets of their magi-tech, which is the only thing that might allow Earth to remain safe. Knowing that they need another advantage if Earth is to keep its independence, UTS council sends the Prometheus on a mission to recover valuable technology from the remains of the ancient empire that fought the Val'ayash, hoping that they will find something to help them keep all of humanity safe.
But humanity has other secrets, and other projects in the works, all of them will be needed if the galaxy is to survive. Because, Val'ayash have returned.
Shadow Stars is the second book in the Universe on Fire series, an epic science fiction series with some fantasy elements. It follows humanity as it attempts to make a place for itself in a hostile galaxy.