When the aliens evolve, so does the threat against humanity in this thrilling sequel to Scorpio that finds Alex Archer in an epic battle of survival against the odds and the alien invaders.Alex Archer is a soldier now, the only civilian survivor from Scorpio to join the NAC Defense Corps. With their training complete, Alex and her friend Private Isa Cressey find themselves on emergency combat deployment with their new unit. The destination is the Alpha Corvi system, where an allied warship has vanished. Alex can guess why.Her fears prove true-Alpha Corvi is under new ownership. Alex must face the monsters from her childhood again as her regiment mounts a rescue operation to find and save the planet's colonists. But this time, there is something terrifyingly different about their enemy. The Corps has evolved to meet the threat, but the Lankies have adapted as well-and they are more lethal than ever. What began as a rescue turns into a desperate fight for survival for Alex and her new friends, stranded on a hostile world forty-nine light-years from Earth. And the only way home goes right through the Lankies.