Join Adrian Tarn and RJ Smith as they embark on a mission they cannot refuse—one that will take them deeper into space than ever before. There, they must negotiate with a vast array of nonhuman species, including aliens so bizarre that communication is difficult, if not impossible. As they venture farther into the unknown, Tarn and Smith confront realities that challenge everything they understand: telepathy and telekinesis, worlds where humanoid form is rare, and environments where sight and sound cannot always be trusted. Worse still, artificial intelligence is already everywhere—and it does not necessarily favor humans, especially those who venture where it believes they should not be. What begins as a mission quickly becomes a relentless journey through space and time, energy and matter, life and death—where survival is uncertain, and death does not always come clean. Join Tarn and Smith on their most dangerous and unexpected adventure yet.