Shards of the Abyss

Jesse Ownsman has survived boot camp and made it to his first assignment, the bleak planet of Aridia on the outskirts on inhabited space. No sooner does he arrive though and the planet's observatory discovers an intruder attempting to sneak up on them. With no hope of reinforcements before this stranger descends upon them, the very survival of Jesse and his compatriots rests solely on their shoulders.