Belt

From the author of the bestselling Colony Mars Series comes another fast-paced, thought-provoking sci-fi epic.The discovery of game-changing quantum technology sparks an AI war between Earth's powerful dynasties and the solar system colonies.A long-lost ship transporting an experimental quantum communications device has just been found in an uncharted region of the asteroid belt. For Commander Scott McNabb, Flight Officer Miranda Lee, and the ragtag survey crew who accidentally stumble upon this lost tech... life is about to become a whole lot more complicated.They now find themselves being hunted down by powerful factions from Earth who will stop at nothing to get their hands on this extraordinary technology. Their only hope is to push their ancient ship to its limits, try and stay one step ahead, and get to the safety of the quantum intelligence on the icy moon of Europa.But to do that, they must first stop bickering, pull together, and buckle up. Because if they don't, then it's not just their lives at stake-but the lives of millions of people throughout the colonized worlds.

The science vessel Hermes is urgently recalled from Saturn's moons just as First Officer Miranda Lee receives devastating news from home requiring her to leave the ship and return to Earth for good. Commander Scott McNabb is so distraught by her departure that he barely notices the parameters of their new mission. Big mistake.With powerful forces on Earth now moving to resume inter-AI communications, risking all-out war, Scott and the crew have no idea they've become the nexus of an inter-planetary battle-and are heading straight for disaster.As the mission begins to crumble, Scott discovers the ship's quantum intelligence, Aria, has been hiding secrets that could tip the balance of power. He must forget about Miranda and focus on saving his crew-including Aria. Because Failure to do so could plunge the entire System into chaos.

Commander Scott McNabb and the remaining crew of the ill-fated Hermes survey ship, journey to Earth to an area formally known as Death Valley, now an irradiated wasteland. Their mission is to connect the quantum intelligence, Athena into the pan-solar communications network, enabling the QIs to rollback control of Earth by The Seven and their AI servants.But their shuttle is damaged as it enters Earth's atmosphere and it lands far from their intended location. Worse, it has been spotted by the AI that controls the region, and security drones are now searching the area to find it. With little hope of repairing the shuttle, Scott makes the fateful decision for them to journey through the wasteland on foot, even though some of the crew argue that this would be reckless.But Scott is driven by a deeper motivation. One forged by the singular desire to find out what happened to Flight Officer Miranda Lee and the child she was carrying. This is because Aria has made him a promise. The QI has assured him that once Athena is reconnected it can then analyze Earth's vast data-stacks and find her location, and more importantly, find out if she is alive or dead.Now, nothing else matters to Scott. He is willing to risk everything to achieve the mission and ultimately find Miranda-even if that means risking the lives of his friends.

On the eve of Luca Lee-McNabb's twenty-third birthday the quantum intelligence, Athena delivers her some bad news. Due to a devastating attack on its infrastructure it can no longer protect her and keep her hidden. She must leave Earth immediately and try to make it to New World One, a gargantuan habitat being constructed out in the asteroid belt.For Luca, leaving her home means potentially exposing herself to the powerful VanHeilding family, who will stop at nothing to harvest her unique biology. They have created a formidable army of Node Runners, people who can jack-in to the data-grid, corrupt the flow of information and attack the QI network. Not only that, but they are now actively searching for her, hunting her down.If Luca wants to get to New World One and see her family again then she must dig deep and face her biggest fear - jacking-in to the data-grid and facing down the Node Runners. But by doing so she faces a very real risk of brain death. Yet it is either that, or ending up being dissected in a VanHeilding genetics lab.

The battle for New World One has left Luca physically and mentally traumatized. She has descended into a deep catatonic state from which there seems no way back.Scott and Miranda are concerned, not just about Luca but also the imminent threat of a new assault on the habitat by a revitalized VanHeilding fleet. They must leave, head for the relative safety of Mars, and hope that they have not left it too late.Yet Luca is not unique in the system. There is another who possesses elements of her extraordinary biology. One who has been this way before, one who understands her struggle and who could ultimately hold the key to her freedom.But for Luca to find a way back she must first deal with the demons that now stalk her mind. She must face up to what she truly is - a threat to human civilization.

As the conflict in the asteroid belt escalates, Luca finds herself seeking out the help of Athena, the QI on Earth. Together they hatch a complex plan to end the power of the VanHeilding family.Meanwhile, resistance to the ongoing power grab by the Xiang Zu Corporation is gaining traction in Elektra, a quadruple asteroid system and the second most populous sector of the Belt. Miranda, Scott, and Cyrus find themselves being dragged into this fightback following rumors that the QI, stolen en route to New World One, has resurfaced in the hands of the rebels.Yet, for there to be any resolution to the conflict, Luca must ultimately face-off against the army of node-runners arrayed against her on New World One. She knows it will be a fight to the death, there can only be one winner, but is she ready?The fate of humanity is resting on the outcome.