Two species lived in peaceful coexistence on the planet Demoth until a
deadly plague wiped out millions of the winged Ooloms while leaving
humans untouched, helpless to do more than ease the suffering of their
alien friends and neighbors. Faye Smallwood saw the horror firsthand,
caring for the plague victims in her father's hospital. She was there
when he discovered the cure that made him famous. She was also there
when a freak accident killed him.
Desperate to escape her past, Faye joins the Vigil, a band of fiercely
independent monitors charged with rooting out government corruption. To
help in this struggle, her mind is linked to the powerful datasphere
that regulates the planet...and suddenly, she receives a cryptic vision
promising peace and healing. Instead, Faye becomes the target of unknown
assassins in a sinister conspiracy that threatens to unleash a new and
more deadly outbreak.
For humans and Ooloms were not the first species to inhabit Demoth.
Somewhere in the ruins of long-abandoned settlements, something was left
behind: an alien technology of unimaginable potential to build--or
destroy. Enemy agents will stop at nothing to find it. Some of Faye's
own people will kill to uncover its secret. With no one else to trust,
she turns to the one person who can help unravel the mystery: Festina
Ramos--explorer, outcast, ever-vigilant champion of those whom society
deems expendable.
