Code of Conduct

Philip K. Dick Award nominee 1999.

Cover art by Jean-Pierre Targete.

Captain Jani Kilian had been Evan van Reuter's lover eighteen years ago, when a Commonwealth diplomatic corps, sent to establish peaceful relations with the alien idomeni, took sides in a civil war. Jani was presumed killed in the ensuing bloodbath, and Evan went on to become the Commonwealth's Interior Minister. But Jani survived as well... more or less. Doctors gave her a new face and patched her broken body together with illegally obtained idomeni genetic materials. They healed her of everything but her memory of the desperate actions she had taken – sure to result in summary execution should Commonwealth authorities discover her existence.

Which makes it unwise for her to refuse Evan's request for help in solving the mystery of his wife's death. There is no shortage of suspects, and the trail draws Jani back into the trauma of Rauta Sheraa and secrets long buried there, secrets someone has killed to protect. If she isn't careful, she'll wind up the next victim – assuming her own body doesn't kill her first. For after eighteen years, her rebuilt body is failing. Jani is dying. Or is she being reborn?

"Smith's tightly plotted SF thriller debut is an ace – sure to appeal to readers who appreciate well-drawn characters and sophisticated milieus... Smith balances a taut mystery with vivid characters and a complex, ever-evolving plot – a feat more experienced authors don't always achieve." – Publishers Weekly