The Prodigal Sun — Sean Williams; Shane Dix

In the far future, humanity has colonized the outermost reaches of the galaxy, and society has evolved into a hierarchy of castes. From the godlike High to the barely sentient Low, and in between are the mundanes, both Pristine and Exotic. Empires have risen and fallen, and the Dato Bloc has just seceded from the Commonwealth of Empires...

ORBITAL AMBUSH

Morgan Roche is a commander in the intelligence arm of the Commonwealth of Empires. Her mission is to escort the artificial intelligence unit known simply as "The Box" to her superiors. But en route, her ship is attacked by Dato Bloc warships, forcing Roche to escape to the surface of the prison planet Sciacca's World with the help of Adoni Cane--a genetically enhanced warrior whose past is a mystery even to him.

Marooned and hunted, Roche must protect "The Box" at all costs. But what about Cane? Who created him and why? The answers may be the salvation of the human race--or its damnation...