"On the distant mining colony of Aegis VII, something strange and alien lurks beneath the surface--a mysterious artifact that brings nothing but trouble to the isolated workforce. As the arrival of the famous planetcracker ship Ishimura fast approaches, security officer Bram Neumann finds himself caught between religious fervor, miners slowly going insane, and the machinations of the mining corporation itself as he races to discover the secrets of the marker--before it destroys them all."--Page 4 of cover.