The United States government is keeping a dark secret from the rest of the world. A deal has been struck, and doom is coming. A chance encounter half a galaxy away between a roguish space captain and a mysterious high-tech robot may offer the unwitting people of Earth their only chance at survival. Kyr Syzygy never thought himself a hero. He was content working as a prospector, skimming a little of the profits, and mostly living a happy-go-lucky existence...