Last of the Chosen (Lawrence P. White)

Synopsis of "Last of the Chosen", first book of "Spirit of Empire" by Lawrence P. White: The Empire, hundreds of thousands of civilizations scattered across the galaxy, has been subtly invaded by the Chessori, diminutive creatures wielding a powerful mind weapon. No one can resist this terrible mind weapon, and the war is lost before anyone knows it began.

Ellandra of the Chosen, the youngest and last surviving leader of the Empire, flees the Chessori. In desperation, she lands on a little known emerging world called Earth where she is rescued by Mike Carver, an innocent bystander. In the process, he discovers that he and the people of Earth are immune to the mind weapon. 

Join Mike and Ellandra on their quest to restore the Empire to its former glory. Along the way they will enlist many others, including:

- Otis, a Great Cat, the most lethal Protector in the Empire.- Jake, a Rider, an intelligent alien mass of protoplasm. If a person could be considered a commodity, Riders would be the single most valuable commodity in the Empire. Unfortunately for Mike, Riders can only survive inside a host body.- George, a nearly sentient artificial intelligence.- Krys, a young woman far across the galaxy who receives unwelcome visions of the future. She hears Ellandra’s call, but she is just an orphan. What can she do?