Can humanity adapt to anything except a life micromanaged by code?
Ruby Ward serves as a Hoplite peacekeeper tasked with upholding Sibylla’s order. After a stretch of welcome calm, her squad is caught completely off guard by a harmless protest that ends in an execution and a one-way trip to the fertiliser heap.
Humanity's pilgrims thought Tartarus would be paradise beyond Earth. An underground city of cobbled streets, rooftop gardens, and perfect sunsets carved in the heart of an interstellar asteroid. But the miraculous gift from Sibylla, the AI who upgraded herself to goddess, has more than a few strings attached.
A charismatic monk reviving faith in the old gods and a cynical genius tired of the sidelines reject the idea of a life micromanaged by code. As rebels begin to challenge their digital deity’s zealots, Ruby discovers that people are willing to risk it all for their freedom, while others will tighten their grip to ensure survival in the void.
Which side will Ruby take, and is Tartarus proof that humanity can adapt to anything except other humans?
