Down to the Sea — William R. Forstchen

FIRST CONTACT...OR LAST?

Twenty years after the defeat of the alien Hordes, the human Republic has been exploring, mapping, and taming their new home. Encountering other human colonies while patrolling the great ocean, they hear rumors of a mighty empire--cousins to the Hordes--known as the Kazan.

Lieutenant Michael O'Brien is an aerosteamer not with the Republic Navy aboard the cruiser Gettysburg, which stumbles upon a fierce naval battle between warring factions of the Kazan. Captured, O'Brien is taken before the Kazan high priest, who is seeking information about the military might of the Republic.

Unwilling to talk, O'Brien is nevertheless allowed to live. But he must remain on his guard, because the priest is more than he seems, and may be a greater threat than the entire Kazan Empire....