Sometime in the future, humans have abandoned what was left of the planet Earth. Some mutated into other humanoid races: amphibious, reptilian, or feline. Others set up a home base on the planet Mars and staved off mutation. Alice Winters, a former special forces operative turned private detective, is one of the old-fashioned humans.
Winters identifies as a Martian, and like most Martians, she's patriotic. She'll defend her home world to the end. Her smarts, experience, and dedication make her the perfect intergalactic sleuth, and her president sends her to a far-off, mineral rich planet called Zedgur to investigate another Martian woman's claims of sexual assault.
Martians and other humanoids aren't the only intelligent life on Zedgur. Machine-based life-forms, the robotiqs and the mechanids, have also taken up residence. Alice begins to find connections between the assault and the nonorganic species. She befriends Nix, a mechanid hacker, and alienates one of her oldest friends.
In the meantime, a robotiq named Garret weaves a web of intergalactic espionage. As Winters digs deeper, she discovers wily deceptions and diabolical plots that put her patriotic dedication to Mars to the ultimate test.
About the Author: A. E. Nienow has a bachelor's degree in cognitive science, enjoys computer programming as a hobby, and is an avid reader of science fiction. The work of science fiction legends like Isaac Asimov influenced his debut novel, Zedgur. He lives in southern Georgia.
