It begins in 2012 when an alien race (The Hierarchy) lands on Earth to strip-mine the planet. Before their landing, observatories and scientists on Earth gave warning, but the human race, is not able to organize a unified military front against the aliens. Because the Hierarchy has vast military experience from invading and destroying other planets in the universe, the human race is not able to withstand them. Novus (machines who fight to avenge their fallen creators) arrives in time to save Washington DC, where the U.S. military made its last stand. Then they establish bases, using guerrilla tactics to harass the Hierarchy. When Novus arrive on Earth, they expect humanity to be extinct and earth’s surface strip-mined, in accordance with Hierarchy standard operating procedure. However, Novus found Earth mostly intact and the human military not yet entirely wiped out. Humanity owes its continued survival to the fact that Kamal Re’x the Abductor, the overseer in charge of the Hierarchy’s Earth invasion, has held back the bulk of his forces to lure Novus into a trap. Kamal Re’x hopes to earn a promotion by wiping out the Novus expeditionary force.