HUMAN STORY

Prologue

In 2006 AD – millions of years ago – the leading World nation of that time launched an ambitious programme to conquer the Universe. They achieved their initial objective in fifteen years. The first out-station was built on the moon…. the shining orb rotating around our former home-planet, Earth. Twenty years later our ancestors landed on Mars and proudly celebrated the foundation of a new planetary base and a new human epoch.

So many demanding tasks then faced us. Europa – the Jupiter's sate­llite – followed after Mars, and then more planets in the Solar System. Finally, centuries later, we went step by step through Space and reached the stars. The first, but not the last, was Proxima Centauri.

Today we occupy all seven Quadrants. It is possible that there are more to discover. So far, we have not met with any other intelligent beings. We escaped from the dying Earth and from the Sun, which could not sustain us much longer. We keep escaping – we have no choice. We need to find new resources. Our machines are voracious, as are we ourselves.

Prophecy

Prophecy from the distant past suggests that we will discover something very important very soon. We keep thinking about this prophecy. It foretells news that will enrich us. What is more – according to the prophecy – the message will come from Strangers. Who? We think we are alone. But are we?

Presence

We were close to Quadrant 8 and ready to occupy it. Millions of people had been embarked and transported through a worm-hole to the next Quadrant, 8MY. We had sent fifty giga-robots to chosen planets to prepare the surface for the landing of ferries carrying people. Standard procedure. Nothing unusual, normal routine. The robots had started flattening the surface, crushing rocks and levelling the landscape.

But something had disrupted their work – something we did not expect. When the ferry ships arrived they found that the robots had been destroyed. They also found who had done this and so the battle began… The Battle Of The Universe.