In 3016, the 2nd empire of man spans hundreds of star systems, thanks to faster-than-light alderson drive. Intelligent beings are finally found from the mote, an isolated star in a thick dust cloud. The bottled-up ancien...In 3016, the 2nd empire of man spans hundreds of star systems, thanks to faster-than-light alderson drive. Intelligent beings are finally found from the mote, an isolated star in a thick dust cloud. The bottled-up ancient civilization, at least one million years old, are welcoming, kind, yet evasive, with a dark problem they have not solved in over a million years.