Ex-military operative Mondrian Delacroix thought her days of high-stakes missions were behind her. But when the reclusive augmented humans of Arkhide come calling with a puzzle even they can't solve, Mon finds herself unable to refuse.

The assignment seems straightforward: travel to an underwater base and assist with a perplexing linguistic challenge. For years, the Arkhideans have been detecting strange signals from the depths of their oceans?patterns that defy conventional analysis and hint at something far beyond their understanding.

As a rare individual with the ability to Listen?to "hear" far beyond normal human range?Mon begins to sense something in the strange transmissions that others have missed. Something that could change everything.

There's a world down here that no one in the Cooperative Realm has ever heard of.

The Elders of Arkhide offers a fresh take on first contact stories in an immersive undersea world. Fans of Becky Chambers, C.J. Cherryh, and Julie E. Czerneda will love this novel.