Gingezel 3: Fault

Gingezel 3: Fault, Illustrated 2nd Edition with AI Art, by Judi Suni Hall and Donald S. Hall

Complex systems can fail. Reverse jurisprudence means you have to prove innocence. The Farr Sector authorities think the odds of an honest mistake in the reactor overpower are an order of magnitude below an Act of God. And they do not like the Outsiders who caused the accident.

Facing a death penalty, time is running out for Dr. Mitra Kael, Power Systems Engineer and Dr. Dreen Pendi, former head of Nemizcan Computing and Mitra’s lover. Because Mitra’s reactor was a prototype she cannot prove her design was faultless. Dreen’s computer interfaces are simply too complex to be safe ‘beyond a reasonable risk’.

With the Drezvir mining colony dangerously short of power as they head into bitter winter an expert team of industrial risk analysts have assembled to try to find the cause of the accident, unintentional or otherwise. Mitra is giving the analysts all the support she can as various subcontractors arrive from across the galaxy. So is Dreen, but he is keeping his analysts safely out of the Farr Sector and holoconferencing.

Dr. Ari Dellmaice, President of Dellmaice Power Systems, is out to make sure anyone but him takes the fall.

Chett Linderson, now head of Nemizcan Computing is not impressed with Ari’s attitude and Chett is the get even type. Chett’s temper has already made him a dangerous enemy, hacker Klarak Voroth.

Joran Lantonel still means well but is focused on walking back on stage and reclaiming his status as galactic superstar. His musician friend Bojo Camrail, is trying to keep him in line but he is distracted between espionage on his home planet and a romance with Brys, Dreen’s best hacker.

At least Dreen and Mitra are together at last. Or are they? C.C. Windegren, terraformer and Mitra’s childhood friend, is on Drezvir and he is wondering why they have wasted all of these years. As a face from the past appears and Dreen’s secrets start slipping out, Mitra finds herself trying to decide just what Dreen is really like. And C.C. and his environmental activist friends have a few secrets of their own.

Science fiction by scientists. Cliffhanger.