Prologue: Nearly a thousand years before the events of the main story

The ship pushed idly through space. The solid black hull would make it nearly invisible to typical human eyes. Inside, various scanners and generators furiously buzz and ting, pinging messages to one another. On a immaterial list, dozens of planets are marked out with an imaginary red marker, a total of .08% of the group. The Mother joyfully hums a hymn about purple mountains and shining seas on the intercom, but the sleeping ears pay it no mind. Suddenly, a specific scanner frantically pings the mother, signaling a pursuer. The Mother stops singing, and pays the scanner her attention. It appears the worst case scenario has happened. She knows they've been followed, and wonders when they were trailed to begin with. Maybe in that cosmic dust avoidance, or perhaps during their abnormally long probe of the last planet. Whatever it was, she had to activate a hidden protocol. For the first time, mother saw a visual window in her mind. "WARNING. Class 1 Planets hold documented intelligent life. Only reveal location after colonists settled." Oh dear, she thought. The colonists would have a challenge. As she bypassed restrictions, easily overriding the 500 year old security systems, the closest planet lit up. Satisfied, she engaged the Alcubierre engines, and their pursuer would be in for another very long wait.