The Belt

Only the rich and the ruthless survive. Upon discovering a rock bearing ancient microfossils, exobiologist Dr. Miguel Hernandez seeks to preserve a tract of Mars for further research. But Lowell Colony Mayor Andre Rand covets the same area for expansion. Framed for sabotage, Miguel must flee into the deadly Martian wilderness and, if possible, collect additional evidence before it's destroyed by construction. In a society driven by greed and ruled by corruption, Miguel stands to lose all. His friends betray him and his top students become targets. Even his secret weapon, Andre's duplicitous wife, turns on him. And then Miguel discovers a truth more terrifying still: behind everything lurks a shadowy figure from the asteroid belt. And she doesn't just want Mars. She wants Miguel and his students. Dr. Miguel Hernandez holds a scientific holy grail in his hands: proof that life once existed on the red planet. But he needs more evidence, and Andre Rand, the ruthless mayor of Lowell Colony, covets the discovery site for a new colony. Andre has the guns and a merciless security team. Miguel has friends hidden in the Martian wilderness. Neither knows that their private war is being orchestrated by a shadowy figure in the Belt, who covets Mars for a very different purpose.