"It was flared out as if it were a cosmic parachute.In this firmament, where Earth was just another pinprick, an object chilled with veins of superfluid and superconductive memories traversed the final remnants of the Oort cloud." When software specialist Mike Brazier from SETI detects the arrival of an enigmatic visitor, it triggers an evolutionary chain of events. But, with humanity on the cusp of becoming a hive mind, their linked futures need a guiding hand.  As agitators exploit tensions between the augmented and the disillusioned, the path to survival must unfold covertly or awaken revolt. Can it be navigated without the help of Earth's emergent conscious AI?