In
Bernard's Promise
, James Hayden took humanity interstellar, exploring the strange life of the Centauri worlds and finding hints of where the Silver Stars have gone. After returning to an Earth that's advanced nine time-dilated years, he encounters an emerging technology that will force mankind to either fill the worlds of the solar system or search the stars for new Earths. One man can't do it alone, and he'll need a fleet spanning decades if they are to succeed. But the Silver Stars are still out there, and James's dreams of first contact may die light-years from home.