Empires rise and fall in space as on Earth. Long before the first stellar empire, there was only the Homeworld. The Earth: a pale blue dot in an as-yet unexplored galaxy. But that was soon to change... Arista Noam seeks to develop faster-than-light travel to open the galaxy to human colonization. She is the best hope for success. Funding, politics, and conflicting theories stand in her way as the first test run is initiated. Conspiracies deepen, hidden enemies turn to violence and the fate of humanity rests in her hands.