The Risen Empire

For sixteen hundred years, an undead Emperor has ruled a vast interstellar empire, maintaining absolute power by granting eternal life to an elite known as the Risen. When the fanatical, machine-augmented Rix, who worship planetary-sized AIs, kidnap the Child Empress, Captain Laurent Zai is tasked with her rescue. Separated by light years, Zai and pacifist Senator Nara Oxham must confront the Rix threat, holding the fate of the empire in their hands.