Paul Tietjens

On Mars, humanity has founded a galactic empire. On Terra, people spend their long lives immersed in the virtual reality of the time-dilated Interface. The Marterrian Frontier is a utopian future rejected by many of its inhabitants peppered by artificial intelligence, space travel, genetic engineering and robot avatars.

Theodore Clay Oneir was born with a defect - he cannot participate in the dreamworld of Interface. In a desperate attempt to escape his disability and his condescending society, Ted stows away aboard the Martian salvage starship, the Dame Brisen.

Aboard the Brisen, Theodore must face uncomfortable truths about life and his own origins. He finds that escape from Earth doesn't mean he's treated like less of a child, and that freedom comes in more than one flavor.