In the near future, bitter nuclear conflict has brought the world to the brink. As the United States begins to lose control of its territory to foreign invaders, Dr. David Benedict launches six thousand refugee colonists using three sleeper ships from Project Columbus, a decades-old government exploration venture. Their destination: Demeter, a suspected habitable planet orbiting a nearby star. Yet the launch is only the beginning of their perilous journey. When a divisive conspiracy surrounding Project Columbus is discovered, members of each crew must face the fallout. Lt Haruka Kimura, a navigator on one of the ships, must defend herself against accusations stemming from her father's treason. Eighteen year old Cal McLaughlin struggles to reconcile why his own father would make the ultimate sacrifice and send him to the stars, completely alone. Computer specialist Lt Darius Owens is thrust into the uncomfortable role of peacemaker when the arrest of the conspirators induces discord in the ranks. But when a young crew member dies in stasis, they must work to stave off threats that could kill every innocent man, woman, and child aboard the ships.
About the Author: J.C. Rainier is product of the Pacific Northwest, born in the Seattle area in 1978, and living in the Puget Sound area his whole life. He is the younger of two children in his family, and his older brother proved to be a giant pest up through his teenage years (as siblings tend to be). J.C.'s parents were both educators working at the middle school level, and he married into another family of educators. In his family, counting in-laws, there are now two retired principals, two retired teachers, a retired school counselor, and an active science teacher. In his youth, J.C. read quite a lot. The Call of the Wild was one of his early favorites, and into middle school he began to devour other books such as Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series. Unfortunately, J.C. developed a form of dylexia that made reading from the page of a book difficult. It was later discovered that the curvature of the page itself caused the issue, and the advent of the eReader (with its perfectly flat screen) has allowed him to once again enjoy reading as he used to. He enjoys both indoor and outdoor pursuits including computers, cars, and camping. J.C., his wife, and his three boys enjoy hockey, and set aside time several times each season to watch the local WHL franchise.