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27th century metahuman Heliodore 'Hel' Brand is a heavy-gravity miner working on hellish Gehenna for one of the oligarchs of the Maia system. Following the stunning revelation that he is a Starsong savant, one of very few who can hear the singing of a faster-than-light network, his life only becomes more complicated. After being driven ruthlessly by his boss on many dangerous missions to listen to Starsong in every corner of the solar system, Hel is nearing the end of a desperate race to be the first to open the Empyrean Gate just as the system is thrown into chaos by a miner rebellion. But should the Gate even be opened? Hel's actions may either preserve his oppression or end it. This leaves him to navigate a precarious game with only his passions to guide him, which include his love for an oligarch's son who has secrets of his own.
Whether you're eager for LGBTQ characters in science fiction or just want to enjoy an exciting new space opera, this thrilling new novel is just right for you.
CHARACTER BIOS
Heliodore 'Hel' Brand
Born in the Maia system, Hel is a Starsong savant who can hear the singing of the Empyrean Gate. He is also a genetically engineered miner who was orphaned as a teenager and sold himself into indentured servitude. Prior to the discovery of Starsong, he worked in the lithium mines on Gehenna for Mairon Salai.
Marcus Henriksson
Reluctant scion and adopted son of the Damianos family, Marcus is a genius in quantum physics and Hel's love interest. He has plenty of secrets.
Captain Jenson Mikel
A genetically engineered miner who also works for Mairon and is Hel's supervisor in the mines; Jenson, aka "Mike", quickly becomes a rebel captain. He is a close friend of Hel's.
Melicent Lasko
Originally the chief Exec working for Kosmas Damianos, Melicent is the mastermind behind the entire rebellion against COMSEOC.
Kosmas Damianos (aka King Kosmas II)
The megalomaniacal chairman of COMSEOC, the corporate oligarchy which runs the Maia system. Kosmas has a god complex and perceives himself as a monarch. He is pompous and vain and his relationship with his adopted son, Marcus, is strained.
Mairon Salai
An outlier in the COMSEOC oligarchy, Mairon is one of the MetaInts, a genetically enhanced genius, who is obsessed with solving the mystery of Starsong. He ruthlessly drives Hel forward in his quest.
Kali Umana
Another of the COMEOC oligarchs, Kali is also obsessed with Starsong and is even more ruthless than Mairon. Her agents are willing to torture information out of her rivals. She is also major fashionista and her fashion interests tend to become automatic hits with the general public.
The Black Guards
The security forces on the Gehenna moon. They wear mechanically enhanced black armor to improve their strength. They are commonly referred to as The Blackguards in a derogatory way by the miners of Gehenna.
Chthon
Notorious hacker and a genius in cryptology and code-breaking; Chthon runs the Chthonic Underground, a Q-com newsletter that regularly criticizes the Maian establishment.
Dr. Sanda Thiri
Mairon's chief medical officer and surgeon. Sanda is also a MetaInt, who paid for her enhancements by becoming an indentured servant like Hel, but she enjoys the relative comfort of working as a doctor rather than a miner.
Kuu Varju
A Luojai genetic engineer who provided Hel with his upgrades. Longlived and ancient, the Luojai are dying out due to becoming sterile and seek to foster children through their genetic enhancements. As a result, Kuu became like a second mother to Hel.
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