Ian Cormac is a legendary Earth Central Security agent, the James Bond of a wealthy future where "runcibles" allow interstellar travel in an eye blink throughout the settled worlds of the Polity. Unfortunately, Cormac is nearly burnt out, "gridlinked" to the AI net so long that his humanity has begun to drain away. He has to take the cold-turkey cure and shake his addiction to having his brain on the net. Now, he must learn to do without, just as he's sent to investigate a unique runcible disaster that's wiped out the entire human colony on planet Samarkand in a thirty-megaton explosion. Unfortunately, Cormac has also incurred the wrath of a vicious psychopath called Arian Pelter, who now follows him across the galaxy with a terrifying psychotic killer android in tow. And all the while, deep beneath Samarkand's surface lurk buried mysteries, fiercely guarded. . . .