SCIFI Minus: A Murder Mystery on Mars - A Novella (The Robot Protocols)

Finally, a fast-paced sci-fi thriller where the science matters

Max is a cop who never gives up. When he finds a body on the summit of Olympus Mons, he immediately realizes he’s looking at the first murder on the surface of Mars. His boss wants the case buried, but Max keeps pushing.

The victim was found beside the Space Elevator—a place so dangerous that nobody goes there. His job was to audit the engineering systems that keep Olympus City alive. Air. Water. Power. Food. A single failure could kill almost a million people.

A clue leads Max and his rookie partner into a trap inside a water-extraction plant. Someone intended to cook them alive. Now it’s clear the murder was only the start. Someone knows what the victim uncovered, and they’ll even destroy the city’s air to keep it hidden.

Think Reacher on Mars, with the engineering pressure of The Martian and the conspiracy edge of Leviathan Wakes.

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Author’s Note
Thanks for reading this far. My aim was to write an action-packed sci-fi thriller built around real physical and engineering constraints.

Living on the surface of Mars isn’t realistic. The radiation is too high, and the soil is toxic. That’s why Max has to live in a city hollowed out inside Olympus Mons, the largest volcano on the planet. But in that city, every breath, every meal, every drop of water, and every unit of power depends on systems that cannot fail.

That raises some fascinating questions. What does it take to build an artificial world for humans? How long can a tightly planned society remain stable? And what happens when an outsider enters a system where every variable is controlled?

The novel is set in 2199, and the science and engineering are as realistic as possible. That’s why you don’t get artificial gravity or faster-than-light travel. You do get systems built on the scientific principles we already understand, along with a few speculative ideas that I’ve worked hard to keep plausible.

Most of all, I hope you enjoy the story. It’s fast, hectic, and (hopefully) great fun. When you finish, I’d love to get your thoughts in a review.