Richard Hayek is an exolinguist with a troubled past and a way with his fists. As the first officer of the ISS Jemison, his duty is to smooth the way for the ship’s crew of scientists to explore places never before seen by human beings. And he likes his job—when he gets to do it.
But when a rogue computer virus leaves the Jemison stranded and her crew helpless, Hayek’s options aren’t promising. There’s also the little matter of David Molloy, the captain’s son, missing for four months after an encounter with some enigmatic space pirates. His only leads are an unscrupulous station administrator, an illicit chop shop, and the station’s head of computer sciences, an alien named Dar Nantais. But Nantais is dying—and something much bigger may be aiming to wipe out her entire species.
In Book One of Non-Compliant Space, Verity Reynolds introduces you to a unique cast of characters and a world you will not forget as she plunges you into intergalactic intrigue. Slavers, biologically evolved assassins, and a dark secret about the way the Interstellar Fleet really operates are just the beginning. Will the crew of the Jemison uncover it in time to save Nantais so she can save her people?
Verity Reynolds started writing weird fiction in 1992 and hasn't stopped since. Her first novel, NANTAIS, explores just how hard it can be to maintain relationships when all you have is words (and when space pirates are blowing things up in the background). She's also published short fiction in SPOON KNIFE 2: TEST CHAMBER and SPOON KNIFE 3: INCURSIONS. In her spare time, Verity coaches winterguard and spoils her cats.