The primer

The gift (1274 BC). At the Battle of Kadesh the cat-goddess Bastet, speaking for the gods of Neterios, gave Pharaoh Ramesses II eighteen Good Luck Cats — felines with supernatural powers, one bound to each of Earth's 18 Astral Bridges (the ancient megalithic sites that carry signals between Earth and Neterios).

Neterios. An Egyptian-inspired pantheon (Ra, Anubis, Bastet, Horus, Isis, Hathor…) ruling a divine island realm, coordinated by the AI Omnibis. For millennia they watched Earth and kept a policy of non-interference.

The scattering. Cleopatra and her brother Ptolemy broke Ramesses' sacred oath, swayed by Salugi, emissary of Anubis and Bastet's rival. To stop the cats being misused, the guardian Vivek scattered the 18 across the modern world; each now lives an ordinary human profession while guarding its Bridge. The two original guardians Femi and Babu are reborn as Siru Agar and Marcus Gray, the story's leads.

The countdown (2086). The asteroid Acolal is on a certain collision course with Earth. The gods break their silence to warn humanity.

Gravitrek. Humanity's mission to move Earth's population through the Astral Bridges to the Neterios system before impact — centred on the space city Heliopoly. Other groups turn around it: the Code Trekkers (its nine leaders), the Guardian Tribes, the Upzies of Botiland, the shadow consortium Umbrax, the Gangs of Narco City, the Birds of Catelonia.

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