The Russian Empire, the German Kaiserreich, the USA, the Islamic Caliphate, and China are the main powers competing for leadership in space. One of the Caliphate’s ships, as a result of an accident, ends up in open space beyond the Solar System, where it discovers a wandering black hole.
According to calculations, the object will pass near the Sun within a few years, which would mean the death of Earth. The Russian Empire’s intelligence intercepts the information and starts its own game—because there will never be enough planets suitable for colonization for everyone.