Love blossoms in a future utopian society, while evil lurks on the fringes. Half a world away, war threatens all of civilization. Humanity has learned it shares this new future with an emerging species of its own making, a species that once threatened extinction for all. But what are the true intentions of these beings? Beginning near the present day, the narrative explores the origins of preeminent technologies and the resulting political, social, and religious entanglements that follow. Four people?a psychopath, a nerd, a disillusioned soldier, and an artificial intelligence?provide insights on world-changing events that will eventually propel Earth?s people to the stars. But only time will tell whether the two species can coexist peacefully long enough to succeed. In this science fiction novel, the first of a planned series, human beings discover an emerging new species that endangers their existence unless the groups can learn to live together.