Left Hand, Right Hand

Troy Gordon has spent years surviving inside a Hammerhead station on Cassa One, hiding a rescued Earthman, Jerry Newland, in secret chambers while the alien takeover tightens around him. Now, as Newland wakes from long paralysis, Troy must piece together the truth for him: the Earth expedition has been captured by the warlike Tareegs, strange penguin-like water creatures who have turned human science, fear, and betrayal into weapons. Their plan is far worse than occupation. By flooding Cassa One with asteroid ice, they are building a sea-world base that will give them a strategic foothold between their system and Sol—and the Atlas crew is unknowingly helping complete it. But Troy's own struggle for freedom is collapsing around him. He has spent months improvising an escape ship from salvaged parts and navigating a station full of collaborators, including Dr. Victor Clingman, a once-human scientist now entangled in the aliens' rituals and schemes. When Troy realizes Newland has been discovered, he launches a desperate diversion, only to be ambushed, paralyzed, and taken alive. He later wakes aboard the Atlas under guard, with the mission over, the enemy in control, and only one remaining hope: to find a way to resist before the Hammerheads' next move becomes irreversible. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.