Relatively utopian life on twenty-third century Earth is about to go awry when it is suddenly revealed that a seemingly harmless alien race is one of the worst threats humanity has ever faced. Driven by intense religious extremism, the Olix are determined to lead all sentient beings to their own version of God. But they may have met their match in a humanity that has no intention of submitting gently or spending the rest of its days hidden away. Human ingenuity and inflexibility rise to the challenge, and the people have only one goal - to wipe out a seemingly invincible enemy from the face of the earth. Even if it means playing a really long game. But in a chaotic universe, it is difficult to plan for all possible events, and before dawn the night is darkest.