Living on a planet in the throes of an irreversible environmental crisis and in the grips of a global authoritarian regime, Mar Vanderlord has no desire to become a revolutionary yet despite her misgivings becomes one.

SYNOPSIS:

Mar trusts that the Global Assembly—Koda’s authoritarian planetary government—serves her best interest. The government has decreed that domes must be built over the most populated cities so Kodans will be protected from a self-inflicted environmental crisis. The government claims the crisis will dissipate with the majority of the population removed from the ecosystem. Unfortunately, the true intent of the DOME project isn’t about healing the planet which is irreparably damaged. It’s about enriching a small percentage of the population who will use their wealth to ensure the government controls the survivors inside the domes.

There was once another plan to save the Kodan people called the SEEDER program which was directed by Mar’s grandfather Yorlik Vanderlord. The program launched deep-space missions to discover a habitable world. It was cancelled to fund the DOME project, but Yorlik persuaded the Global Assembly to dispatch one final spacecraft with him as the sole passenger. In her grandfather’s absence, Mar’s family fell apart and she grew resentful of him. She believed her grandfather was selfish and misguided.

As the domes near completion, thirty-two years later, Yorlik returns, but he declares his mission unsuccessful. This confirms Mar’s suspicions about her grandfather being a fraud and renews her faith in the Global Assembly.

When Yorlik dies, Mar’s son Yor announces to the media that the government concealed his great-grandfather’s discovery. The Leader orders Global-Security-Service agent Orn Shiv to silence Yor by any means necessary. Mar fears for her son’s safety and asks Mado Prevor, Yorlik’s protégé, to assist in halting Yor’s reckless behavior. Mado reveals that he is an alien, Mar’s grandfather located a habitable world and the domes are doomed for failure. Mar can stay loyal to the government and disown her son or embrace the truth and join a movement to undermine the Global Assembly.

WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS