Deus the dark sphere

"A mysterious black sphere is discovered in the orbit of Mars. The Achilles is sent to investigate. After the bedraggled six-person crew wake from eight months hibernation, a blinding light shatters the darkness. The Sphere is transmitting a single word -- a simultaneous broadcast of one word in over four thousand Earth languages, ancient and modern. The word is Deus -- God. The stunned and frightened crew face a series of bewildering questions:...