Earth seceded from its suzerains' state and declared independence. Naturally, such a bold move did not go unnoticed by its powerful neighbors in space, who had aggressive plans for the inhabitable yet overly self-reliant planet. With black clouds gathering and the term of safety growing ever shorter, positive lines of the probable future for Earth's humanity and its allies were nowhere to be seen despite all Gnat the Devourer's efforts and unique abilities. His one remaining option - to seek advice from someone who never erred and knew everything there was to know - the Great First Female of the Miyelonian race. And although the Great One lived many millennia in the past, since when was time an obstacle to a person capable of controlling chronostreams and manipulating reality?

Michael Atamanov was born in 1975 in Grozny, Chechnia. He excelled at school, winning numerous national science and writing competitions. Having graduated with honors, he began to study material engineering. Soon, however, his family had to flee their house which was destroyed during the first Chechen campaign. Michael was forced to accept whatever work was available. He moonlighted in chemical labs, loaded trucks, translated technical articles, worked...