Judd Witherspoon is a throwback, different from his fellow Duoterrans in that he has the round pupils of his Terran ancestors, and not the cat-like eyes of the majority of the planet's inhabitants.

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Finding a niche for himself, he sets himself up as a courier, ferrying packages and documents between the planet's settlements, via the inter-city corridor network that protects travellers from the searing heat of the surrounding desert.

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It's a dangerous job, not just because of potential bear-wolf attacks but the risk of being ambushed by sifters, roving bandits who prey on the corridors. And this time his cargo is different.

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In a Mad Max-style story, Judd is willing to risk his own life if necessary in order to protect a precious graphene package and deliver it to Paradise Cove.