A Space Marine dies in suspicious circumstances. Members of an alien race stand accused. For one corporate cop, solving this case could get him killed. For years, investigator John Romaine has traded his principles for a safe and comfortable life in space. The deal is clear: if he cleans up his employer’s messes, they won’t send him into the dirt and danger of their planetary colonies. So he’s stunned when he’s deployed to an unregistered world to solve the suspicious death of a Space Marine. And even more astounded to discover that the planet is home to aliens, the first sentient species humans have encountered. The pressure mounts to charge the local people with murder, the clues aren’t adding up, and with conflict flaring between the locals and the Marines, Romaine is forced to do two things he’s never done before. Fight for his life. And choose a side that’s not his own.