When space pirates raid an asteroid mine in Saturn's orbit, Seder-Krupp hires a bounty hunter to run them down. Caught between ruthless killers and corporate intrigue, he must find a way to secure justice and keep his soul intact. A beautiful woman brings Inspector Jim Sours his latest case. The solar-system spanning internet, to which nearly everyone is connected, has determined that someone she loves committed a murder. The problem is, the suspect's physical presence at the scene was impossible. Detective Owen Cooper is investigating a series of strange occurrences involving the spontaneous appearances of large discs which cause death and destruction everywhere they manifest. He's never seen anything like it before, and rumors that it's all being caused by alien technology are only making it more complicated. Cooper is at a loss when he sees an oddly beautiful woman in strange garb at the scene of one of the appearances. She's faster than she should be and speaks of far-flung galaxies, alliances, and death. The fate of humanity is in Cooper's hands as he's left with a great Damoclesian question hanging overhead... Can he trust her? Troubled by a young man's suicide, a seasoned New York City detective decides to delve deeper into its mysterious cirumcumstances. Desperate for answers, his investigations lead him down a dark rabbit hole that threatens to consume him. Shera Nox, famed intergalactic detective, isn't taking on any more cases...until she hears that an entire planet has gone missing. But when a fellow detective and her own ship disappear too, Shera realizes that this case is much more complex-and dangerous-than she first thought. In the future, children aren't granted personhood until they hit puberty, and the government allows them a place in society. Things are going well for State Assimilation Detective John, until he discovers his own son is up next for culling. John realizes he must either beat the system, or end up sacrificing himself to save his son.