Razer is a survivor of a local war between the more recent independent colonies. These Third Worlds participate in the return-to-roots movement, blending the history and mythology of a chosen nation to build their collective identity. Sometimes, this leads to conflicts. Now he seeks revenge for his unfortunate Ketuwa tribe. He gets the name of his target and is trained by an elite military unit for his assassination mission. However, his training does not include the skill of remaining honourable without being taken advantage of and betrayed or staying realistic without betraying others. Will he be able to master it successfully?
Razer’s target is Amira, a woman with a tragic past. She is the leader of the Sudden Dawn, a mystic sect of the Reborn Faith formed by the union of the three biggest Abrahamic religions that took place on the Armageddon Field after the WWIII. She teaches her followers to ‘embrace the free spirit of God,’ and that ‘God speaks to us through our hearts.’
Only her native Haxamanisia is now well on its way to becoming an oppressive theocracy and is no longer a safe place for the so-called Azoth Magi, the avant-garde scientists whose research promises to free humans from physical ageing and extend the human lifespan for as long as ‘the soul has the will to live.’ Now that her sect has been outlawed, will she survive the ghosts from her past and the political intrigues of the present? More importantly, will she be able to keep her faith under the onslaught from the harsh reality?
The First Worlds and Haxamanisia are now entangled in a web of political rivalry and mutual dependency. The oligarchic corporate government of the First Worlds, whose power is based on mass production and consumerism, must find something cheaper even than robots to stay competitive: something like ‘zombies’ – the recent dead revived through the Azoth Rebirth. Their lives have officially ended with death; they have no human rights and legally cannot be considered slaves. However, only Haxamanisia’s Holy Order possesses the secret of the Rebirth, the byproduct of the still incomplete Azoth research.
Meanwhile on Hiva, an out-of-the-way planet on the edge of the settled universe where the last remaining Azoth Magi continue to work in exile, Colonel Tomyris commands the Custodiaspes battalion formed to protect the Azoth research and to ensure that when it succeeds, its fruits will belong to everyone. Will she come to terms with the effects of the ‘zero-trust culture’ spreading through socinet, learn to watch her back, and find a motivation to hold together this ragtag unit made up from misfits, nonconformists, and rebels from the First Worlds, the Third Worlds, and Haxamanisia?
Because the Azoth research is only a part of the advancements in technology and science. The coming changes are as significant as the introduction of agriculture and animal husbandry, and their effects on humanity may be equally profound. $0.99 on Kindle.
