In "Echoes of the Ascendants," Captain Mira Kessler and the crew of the Terran battleship Vanguard encounter a mysterious ancient entity known as the Ascendants while navigating through dark space. As the Terrans grapple with the consequences of their newly developed faster-than-light technology, which has inadvertently disrupted the delicate balance of the cosmos, they are offered a unique solution by the Ascendants. Balancing the demands of an ongoing war with the Virexians and the need to navigate complex interstellar diplomacy, Mira must determine the best course of action to protect humanity's future in an increasingly perilous galaxy.