A simple rancher, looking for a simple life. Take care of the herd, spend time with his wife, raise a family one day—these all provided Grayson with more than enough adventure. Unfortunately, the malevolent power he unearthed had other plans, and he found himself trekking past the main asteroid belt in an attempt to contain it.

The Martian colony had struggled to survive in isolation for the last sixty years, but the Space Industries Mining Corporation discovered it was a source for the greatest natural resource in the solar system: cheap human labor. SIMCo imagined itself a reincarnation of the British Imperial Navy, securing the shipping lanes for the benefit of all. To Grayson, the corporation had far more in common with the East India Company. He had plenty of reasons to keep his head down, but a secret buried on Earth long ago forces confrontation with a foe he thought was long dead. As much as he hated it, Grayson was now personally involved.

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This book is based on ideas I’ve had through the years, pulled together a few years ago into a work of fiction. At first, the drama hinged on character interaction, but as I started working through the plot I realized the Mars colony and the mining corporation both exist based on a human trafficking economy where Mars exports labor, which the corporation employs as perpetual indentured servants to improve their bottom line. This backdrop creates context for the characters who find themselves trapped in a complex social and economic situation.

Of course, there are a few other themes which I’d rather let you discover for yourself...

So far, I’m only about 50% done with the rough draft, but I’ll post a few more finished chapters here as they are ready for review. And, of course, I’ll post updates on the progress toward completion. I plan to have the final first draft complete by the middle of 2019. Thanks for your interest in my story!