Octavius Bartholomew Fitzgerald is an inventor and genius with an edge. A message from the future with science and tech to create and empire. The originators have a specific result in mind when they send the probe back through time. Octavius has a different idea and works to end the possibility of a harsh regime controlled by Humans with all other species as servants or exterminated.
He collects people with similar thoughts and a wide variety of skills to begin building what he hopes will be a blessing to the galaxy rather than a curse. Together they find life can be less about planning and more about serendipity.