Publisher's Synopsis
The time for talk has come and gone. It is clear that the only way to earn freedom, is still through bloodshed. For all of humanity's advancements, it's still come down to this. Beta Earth will fight and die for its independence, or the astromining colony will flounder into dissolution. Millions of people have died from the mysterious sickness plaguing the mines, with millions more still at risk, hiding in secluded pockets across Beta Earth. Failing is not an option, though it appears imminent. The armies of the International Space Force have fractured, and alliances are shifting like the wind. Not everyone can be bought, though everyone has a price. Leonie Haas and Xóchitl de la Muerta are doing their best to navigate the turbulent landscape and keep each other alive, but that is easier said than done. The Directors of the mines, the most protected people in the colony, are all dying, leaving power vacuums vulnerable to hostile takeover in the form of none other than Xóchitl's brother Vasco, a dangerously brainwashed soldier loyal to no one but his mother, Sesasi Haas. Xóchitl and her mother Sesasi have more than a rocky past with one another, but it will need to be confronted and dealt with if Beta Earth is to survive. Despite having two planets, there is only room enough for one woman to be alive. Sesasi hasn't become the most powerful woman on Earth by accident either. Her word is above approach, and her actions unquestionable. If she decides to withdraw Haas Industries from the N.I.L.E. project then humanity will be right back where they started, overpopulating themselves into annihilation. Luckily, Xóchitl is her mother's daughter, and keeps a few tricks up her sleeve no one knows about, but will it be enough to claim victory in this battle for Beta Earth?
