After a nebulous Enemy destroys Earth, the remnants of humanity settle on Mars. Not only does this civilization survive, but they thrive, creating advancements for the rest of the solar system. The Enemy is an advanced nanotechnological AI programmed to produce paperclips out of anything it touches � and it's not done with humanity yet. Taru, a cadet in the Martian Special Forces, has been tasked with implementing a mutually assured destruction deterrent: if the Enemy attacks Mars, the Martians will destroy not only themselves, but the Universe at large. As events around Taru hurtle toward ultimate destruction, all is not what it seems ...