They're facing not one, but two A.I.s...
One inhabits her new ward, a mere child, and the other in Stepper Jordan, of all people. Janlin's small band of comrades find themselves abandoned, blamed for the death of Diona Jordan, and facing the anger of the late leader's followers.
Neither the Mars colony nor Spectra Orbital Station welcome Janlin and her friends, and they're forced to fight their way back to Earth in hopes of surviving there. But Ceirin isn't so sure about extra mouths to feed either, to say nothing of the danger the A.I. presents... and this comes as a blow.
Janlin has nowhere left to turn, and she feels herself unraveling from the inside out. It's only through the help of her new ward, now carrying and operating under an artificial intelligence, that she is able to recover herself and prepare for the inevitable battle against Stepper to win back Hope.