In 2087, Earth receives a message from deep space. It speaks about a ‘Horde’, destroyer of worlds; of an ‘Alliance’, born out of necessity to stop the ‘Horde’s ravages; of weapons beyond human comprehension, which give this ‘Alliance’ control over half of the observable universe; and of a harbinger of doom, hurtling towards our planet. As pressing as it is hard to believe, this epistle also lays down a plan to save Earth—but at what cost? Is it a hoax, or a trap, or will we indeed soon face extinction—unless we agree to the ‘Alliance’s terms?