Book excerpt: Mars’s core is still rumbling with earthquakes but the planet’s facilitator Naira has more than that on her plate of worries. What to do with the old guard of Lyreans who still sleep in stasis in the bowels of the city, one of them her own father? Octopuses have colonized the Martian ocean but no-one except Emily knows much about them. And then there’s how to deal with the disharmony in the galaxy that is being broadcast from a source close to the galaxy’s center. The lives of many will entwine before the end. Elise wants to let go of her past and remake her life, hoping to build relationships based on trust. Kjartalan, knowing he needs to work on his own issues, finds himself transported across the galaxy. An Arcturian, on a mission, wants to walk into a vacant body. And Chesten finds a surprising ally, though not of the two legged variety. Their city will be threatened by events beyond their control. In the midst of all this Naira must turn to an old foe but is he to be trusted?