The Alien’s Back! by Ruth Anne Scott

When Aubrey comes home with a story from work about a colleague who once explored a factory owned by the Orion Corporation and discovered strange rooms and other odd happenings, Jonah knows that he has to keep digging. A return to the medical ward reveals something that turns everything that he thought he knew upside down and he and Aubrey must decide what is the most important and what they should do next.
On Uoria Ellora, Athan, and Mhavrych make their way back to the Mikana kingdom using a mysterious form of travel that Mhavrych won’t explain but that seems to have the power to bring them far distances in mere moments. Once they’ve arrived, they confront Creia and Rey with what is happening and all must decide whether they should hurry back to Penthos as fast as possible or if they should remain on Uoria longer to better prepare. Meanwhile, Rain works through her feelings about the settlement and her realizations that this will never be her home again and Ivy feels pulled between her love for Maxim and the desire to be on Penthos with him, and the need to protect her baby.
On Penthos Maxim struggles to get near his father, but the raging battle keeps them apart. When he finally is able to speak with him, the emotions are more intense than he ever would have expected. They navigate their new reality of being back together as the crews settle into the compound, waiting for the next conflict with the hybrid army. When Pyra realizes that he has unfinished business that he wants to complete, he and Maxim must seek out help in an unexpected place.