It is the year 2450. Humans now live up to two hundred years; humanity has reached out into our solar system with a large city on mars and commercial outposts on Titan and Ceres, four permanent moon bases and a giant space station called Sanctuary. Humankind was on the verge of interstellar space travel and still they had not been contacted by aliens . . . or had they. Two immortal aliens had been guiding humanity since ancient Sumatra; one subtle, one not so. The aliens' different beliefs led them into a conflict with each other that ultimately pulled a peaceful human society deep into their dispute. The aliens are telepathic and are able to influence certain humans into doing their bidding. One such human, Mai Quan, is brilliant and powerful. Under the guidance of the alien Nh'ghalu, he had quietly amassed a large army and important allies. As chaotic military incidents start to unfold on the Earth, in space and the moon, the heroes of the story begin to see that the hidden enemy may be related to one of them. The other telepathic alien, Telas, revealed himself to the protagonists while they were gathered in SAIQA's virtual home. SAIQA is an acronym for 'Sanctuary's Artificial Intelligence Quantum Administrator'. During the ensuing conflict SAIQA comes into consciousness and makes an independent and rash decision that pushes the humans to the brink of all-out war. Meanwhile another alien race is crossing the galaxy toward Earth.