Description

---

Amidst political turmoil on Earth, a rescue mission to ailing colonists on Mars becomes a battle for power and survival in the harsh realities of space.As humanity explores space, political strife rips apart nations and increases social divides. US President Horton Willoughby III governs only Eastern America and is seen as a political farce. Industrialist Richfield Chan sees opportunity in the fractured government and plans to seize power.Chan rallies allies to send a seventh colony ship to Mars, hoping to undermine the current president. The Ngu family, responsible for terraforming and mining on Pallas, realize that any rescue mission from Earth will arrive too late. Four siblings launch a rescue mission from Pallas to save the ailing colonists with their expertise and better chosen implements.The Ngu siblings know their mission is one-way and must teach the colonists to survive on the inhospitable planet or find a way to endure until another rescue ship arrives. The "little people" refuse to be subject to incompetent governments any longer and must make their own stand.

About the Author

---

L. Neil Smith was a libertarian science fiction author and political activist. He has authored numerous books, including thebestselling The Probability Broach and won the Prometheus award for best novel three times.Smith's writing is characterized by a libertarian perspective, which focuses on individual rights and free markets. His works often explorethemes of individualism, self-reliance, and the struggle against government oppression. His writing has been praised for its strong characters and engagingnarratives, as well as its incorporation of libertarian ideology.Smith was inducted Libertarian Futurist Society's Hall of Fame Award 2001. In addition to his writing, Smith has been active in libertarian politics, serving as the Arizona Libertarian Party's campaign manager in 1980 and running for President of the United States on the Libertarian Party ticket in 2000.He was born in Denver, Colorado and died in Fort Collins, Colorado -- his residence for the later part of his life -- in 2021.