In their original universe, they were pursued by a relentless terraforming agent which ripped apart their worlds and remade them into millions of asteroid-sized habitats.
The term terraforming is sometimes used more generally as a synonym for planetary engineering, although some consider this more general usage an error.
In the novel, scientific and technological advances, such as increased longevity, settlements on other planets, and even terraforming, have opened gateways to an extraordinary future.
