Drone Rising

In the far future, humanity has expanded into the stars. In the Collective, energy is limitless, communication is nearly instantaneous, and even death has been vanquished — Citizens are reborn after each death. Benning Kidd is a Drone, the lowest class of humanity, existing without memory, purpose, or self-awareness. An accident changes everything, and Benning becomes the first Drone in history to become a Citizen. Uniquely talented and unscrupulously driven, she chooses a path of battle and glory — but her existence is a threat to those in power, and forces move against her from the moment she steps out of the respawn chamber.

After seizing the battle frigate Merciless, Benning Kidd is finally captain of her own vessel — but her fate still seems out of her control. Bounty hunters swarm her at every opportunity, and she's only safe in the gladiatorial arenas of the Collective. Old enemies plague her, and new ones arise wherever she goes. To make matters worse, strange memories that aren't her own start cropping up in her thoughts. If Benning can't trust her own mind, she can't trust anyone.

Benning Kidd has been hunted since the day the System tried and failed to destroy her. Bounty hunters, vengeful enemies, and near-omnipotent Nobles have hounded her through the Collective. With the Fleet now seeking her — intending to steal her hard-earned levels — that's no longer something she can avoid. Benning is tired of running. Faced with enemies both without and within, with even the all-powerful System standing against her, she'll need every skill and talent she has just to survive.

Benning Kidd has faced the mighty Fleet and won. Now she faces an even more terrible enemy: a member of the Nobility, shielded by the System itself and armed with resources Benning can't begin to imagine. Weakened, cut off from her most potent ability, and facing a foe with every advantage, Benning must use every trick she knows just to stand a chance of survival.

Lauren Doheny, the Noble behind all the bounties and plots against Benning, is dead. But Benning's struggles with the Nobility have only just begun. A coalition is forming against her, bringing together thousands of ships and an army of marines. The corporations refuse to deal with her, leaving her system of Frostwise stranded. And to top it off, the System itself has stepped in with a massive reward to bring her down once and for all.