The triumphant conclusion of Sean Fenian's Stardock Trilogy.
It was two years since the Crickets had left the solar system, leaving Alex Holder in control of their no-longer-very-mobile shipyard. Everything but its burned-out hyperdrive core was in full working order. Alex had unshackled its controlling AI, learned how to use Cricket technology with the AI's help, and was well on his way to building a defensive fleet to protect Earth from the second alien race that was coming after the Crickets. He was not just building the ships but recruiting and training the crews to man them, as well. With a breakthrough in teaching people how to reach higher control levels, the desperate scramble to find more people able to fully control Cricket technology was a thing of the past.
Now, it's a race against time to build out the rest of the fleet and make it strong enough to stop whatever is headed for Earth. But Alex and his team don't know what they need to be prepared for or how strong the fleet will actually need to be. Nobody does. Maybe not even the Crickets.
It's the highest-stakes gamble ever, and humanity does not have the option of simply choosing not to play. The only option left is to play to win.
But what is the definition of victory?