death penalty after firing on a Nort ship that had surrendered. She was instead sent to the 86ers, secretly on a mission for Colonel Kovert... Stalov and the Norts have switched sides after their Klan attempted (and failed) in a coup. Stalov actually betrayed his Klan-Marshal, believing klan rivalries and coups were damaging Nortland's war effort; it does not appear that his comrades know this. They are mistrusted and disliked by all at Acoma, and have deliberately baited Becca with stories of their kills on Nu-Karthage. Recently, they were targets of a Nort Grendel assassin and turned to Rafe for help. Doctor Friedkin is the most mysterious character who seems to be keeping progress of Rafe in the base. Originally a geneticist on the GI project, he turned to Xeno-Archaeology and an obsession with elder races after encountering a vast, biological alien ship in a jump gate accident. In Sub 17, at the lower tunnels he is trying to open the thing seen in the Nort base as an archaeological dig, although it may be the thing that caused the infection. An illness (Progeria) is causing him to age at an accelerated rate. Japeth is a mysterious alien hybrid who saved Rafe from the Nort base, although he apparently killed Rafe's robot Gabe. His reason for saving her was "it isn't her time yet". Security Chief Montuez is working with Friedkin in the conspiracy. He views Rafe as a "gene-freak". Plot The Acoma System is a Souther-held warzone. It is centered around a gas giant (also called Acoma) with ore-rich moons, and thus is a valuable mining site for the Souther war effort. Protecting the supply routes is the 86th Air Support Reconnaissance Squadron - the 86ers. It is a dumping ground for failures and freaks and now G.I. Rafaella Blue has joined them. The 86ers are based out of the Citadel, a fortress built on an asteroid inhabited by the alien Termies ("Pretty harmless, as long as you don't go wandering about the lower levels on your own"). It is known a Nort spy is on the base, with the crew betting on who it might be. The alien Varr live nearby; little is known about them and they leave the 86ers alone for the most part. Rafe was sent to investigate an SOS at a Nort base that had been hit by a bioweapon and was infected by