From the introduction: Everything ends. People die, planets burn, suns burn out. Even matter itself fades, given time enough. Only once in a billion billion years on a billion billion stars has entropy been so challenged by life as it was on Earth. It is a scourge; you must wipe it out. And you will, eventually, given enough time; there is no doubt. But humans, this intelligent life can do more to please you than simply dying. They can suffer... ... The Beast wins if the Future is Genocide, Ecocide, Tyranny, or Oblivion. If the future is anything else, the Beast neither wins nor loses. The end will come, even if it takes longer to arrive. The Beast is patient.