GEODESICA; Geodesica: Ascent; Geodesica: Descent - Hardcover

The year is 2388. Humanity has spread to the stars, but the far-flung Arc Systems chafe under the tight control of the Exarchs, post-humans whose domination of ftl technology gives them unsurpassed power. On the asteroid colony Bedlam, the Exarchate is represented by Isaac Forge Deangelis, whose takeover effectively left Deputy Councelor Melilah Awad without a job. Now she forages the huge habitat's abandoned core, while working openly to undermine Deangelis' rule.Though cognitively and technologically superior, the Exarchate has not yet chosen to supplant the Cells-VOIDships whose function is to sweep navigational hazards from the trade routes between systems. But when one such Cell docks at Bedlam, bringing with it a mysterious alien artifact, all hell breaks loose. Geodesica, as thefind becomes known, promises rapid transfer between systems, which could give humans the advantage they need to bring down the Exarchate.Now a handful of allies-including Cell pilot Palmer Eogan, who is no longer quite human, and Melilah Awad, the woman he'd loved 150 years ago-are about to risk everything to unlock the secrets of Geodesica. And what they find will be far more dangerous than anyone-human or post-human-could imagine. Includes Ascent and Descent. Jacket art by Chris Moore. (642 pp.) 2005-2006.