There were too many people and too few resources on Earth, with the nations scrabbling for scraps. And though no one could afford the resources for a conventional war any longer, even the smallest nation could afford thermonuclear weapons. Then, in a nearby star system, the Earthlike planet Jem was discovered. It could be reached by tachyon transport in only a few days, and its untapped resources might bring a renaissance to Earth—or bring on the final apocalypse. The three intelligent native species on Jem had no technology capable of threatening the visitors from Earth, but the humans, representing all the contending factions on the home world, had brought plenty of weapons along with them. And if conflict broke out on Jem, the final war on Earth might quickly follow. . . .