Book excerpt: By 2050, an underground network and economy is thriving. Built on crypto-currencies—an open global mesh network—the freewheeling markets and innovative services are challenging rigid State powers and their corporate cronies. The State, resorting to secret laws, black-sites, and mob-style tactics, intend to take down this free network and anyone using crypto-currencies. But this is proving a difficult task—more hazardous and complicated than anticipated. The mesh is resilient, crypto-currencies strong...high-tech software and hardware built in basements around the world stays one step ahead. Crypto groups, aligned in their goals, collaborating with the united alliance to build and maintain the global mesh, nonetheless are troubled with infighting and power struggles between crypto-currencies, crypto-currency forks, and ultra-wealthy large crypto-holders.The Black Edge Octalogy follows the adventures of cypherpunks pursuing a life of privacy and independence through their mesh networks, crypto-systems and crypto-currencies. They write code, hack hardware, and expose authoritarian deceit and brutality.