"Ancient:
Rebirth" by Sergei Tarmashev, summary Automatic translate

This 2012 book is a space science fiction adventure that continues the story of a reborn humanity waging a merciless war for survival. The plot centers on the battles of the Ancient Fleet, which has returned from the distant past to confront a cosmic-scale energy parasite that has taken over the minds of the leaders of hostile civilizations. This work is part of the extensive "Ancient" book series and is the sixth installment. It follows the novels "Catastrophe," "Corporation," "War," "Invasion," and "Payback," and is directly followed by the seventh installment, "Hour of Retribution."

Commonwealth counterattack

A former sociologist who became the first pilot of the T’Hassmoa race, Eeeah, while patrolling the Imii system, accidentally intercepts encrypted human radio traffic. Human scouts with the callsigns "Barabashka" and "Alice" are openly discussing the imminent attack of a massive fleet through a reconfigured null-gate. The pilot immediately informs command of the impending landing. The Alien Alliance prepares a large-scale ambush and dispatches an Ins boarding craft to intercept the human scientists. However, the scientists on board the vessel turn out to be elite special forces soldiers led by Commander Thirteen. The Aliens fall into a cunningly planned trap. The ancient Commonwealth fleet unleashes a devastating barrage of antimatter "Silver Tears," incinerating thousands of Insectorate assault squadrons right as they emerge from the null-gate. Human interceptors instantly tear apart surviving ships.

The aggressor fleet suffers horrific losses. Suddenly, the enemy advance is halted completely by the destruction of the Gredrinian flagship. The Thirteenth and the Delphi Emperor Oeaoo immediately organize a counterattack through the null-gate. Ancient special forces board the enemy ships. The Commander captures the Ins leaders — the so-called Keepers. But the prisoners die instantly for no apparent reason, depriving the humans of the opportunity to interrogate the enemy’s high command.

Military reforms and the mystery of the Parasite

The Thirteenth convenes the Council of Commonwealth Heads in a hastily restored sector of Prime. The Commander amends the Constitution to ensure the physical survival of the race. Society is rigidly divided into citizens and residents. Only those who have served in the military are granted the right to vote. Cowardly deserters who have taken refuge in dead space are officially denied military aid. Centrospas is formed under the leadership of Oleg Tikhonov. Scientist Andrei Andreevich Serebryakov Jr. perfects emergency consciousness preservation technology, allowing mortally wounded soldiers to be revived multiple times.

Capturing the enemy commanders alive is proving elusive. In the Blue-Eyed system, humans use a quark fireship to breach dense minefields. The Ancient Fleet destroys Vaarsi’s defensive armada. The Thirteenth captures the admiral. The blue-skinned captive falls into a deep coma next to Cheburashka the bat. Academicians discuss the nature of the Insectorate’s governance: Pyotr Petrovich is certain of the Queen Mother’s mental power over the Sovereigns. Serebryakov Jr. conducts autopsies on dead aliens and daring experiments at Day’s base. The Invisible Enemy reveals itself to be the Perfect Parasite. An energy entity enslaves the minds of commanders, hiding in brainwave vibrations, in order to destroy biological life in the Galaxy through the hands of others. When threatened with capture, the Parasite abandons the body, instantly killing the host. An experiment in an isolated laboratory goes out of control. The Ideal awakens from its coma and consumes the scientific complex. The security system of the ancient creators of Merkhn eliminates the threat with a pinpoint shot.

The Third Front in the Death Nebula

The Riul homeworld is subjected to random quark bombardments. A massive underground city and one hundred and seventy million inhabitants are destroyed. The priest Eauuris, traveling on a high-speed scout ship, requests the Commander for urgent aid. The Death Nebula is depleting the Riul people: the population is starving in the darkness of the underground, and energy reserves are critically low. The Thirteenth sends the artificial planet Deya directly into the Death Nebula. Deya unerringly charts a safe course amidst black holes, dangerous radiation streams, and powerful gravitational anomalies. The humans deliver null-jump fragments, creating a direct corridor to their rear bases. The Commonwealth immediately transfers hundreds of tons of giftonium and advanced combat technologies to the Riul. The Riul gain a chance at survival.

Thirteenth’s squadron carries out sabotage raids on occupied Riul worlds. Thirteenth’s wife, Alice, pilots the advanced scout ship Ghost. She eavesdrops on secret radio communications between high-ranking enemy commanders in the Gizzaz system. It turns out that the T’Hassmoa and Gredrinii races are prepared to destroy each other in a dispute over captured territory. The Alien Alliance plans to exterminate the T’Hassmoa race immediately after defeating the humans. Alice reveals her position and evades pursuit through a dense barrage of hundreds of maneuverable enemy ships.

Special Operation and the Plans of the Primordial

To capture the enslaved leader, Thirteen orchestrates a cunning stunt. The captured Gredrinian, Raftulakh, is allowed to escape from the damaged human battleship Alexander. Before this, a tiny beacon chip is implanted in the alien’s hand. A junior mechanic’s assistant steals an escape pod and successfully reaches his own side. An enemy punitive squadron, under the personal command of Minority Shareholder Vaau, tracks the beacon and attacks the lone human battleship. Vaau hopes to capture the human vessel. Human special forces and the Ancient Fleet, lurking nearby, launch a crushing counterattack. Vaau is captured alive. Cheburashka’s presence paralyzes the Ideal within the blue-skinned leader, preventing the energy parasite from escaping.

Meanwhile, pilot T’Hassmoa Hass’Tonar sells recovered human rescue modules at a secret base. People buy the consciousnesses of fallen heroes for rare isotopes and local currency. For five thousand modules handed over, the seller receives a unique immunity identifier. The pilot departs with the idea of collecting more modules on abandoned battlefields and striking it rich enough to buy himself a transfer to a safe rear garrison far from the fighting.

Deya returns to the Sol system ahead of schedule. Thirteenth understands the true motives of the artificial planet’s behavior. Deya was created to protect life in all its forms and therefore allowed a small fragment of the Ideal to escape during the laboratory’s total destruction. In distant, dead space, on the site of the lost galaxy, Vuzei, the Primordial, analyzes his failures. He clearly recognizes the mortal danger posed by the Ancient Fleet. The parasite decides to immediately enslave the minds of all available living beings. He assembles a massive armada of billions of warships to reduce the growing alliance of humans, Delphi, and Riul to cosmic dust and freely devour the galaxy, purged of its defenders.