Abstract:
Civilization passes through a social singularity. Traditional empires like the U.S. and E.U. break apart. China collapses. Companies consolidate and expand their domain around the Earth and to the far reaches of the solar system, becoming the glue that prevents anarchy as they contract mercenaries to brutally maintain order and ensure profits. Three reluctant heroes rise above this Chaos. A mild Midwesterner becomes a vigilante, an astrophysicist saves alien artifacts, and a mob enforcer finds a new life aboard a starship.