Her code name is Sparta. Her beauty veils a mysterious past and abilities of superhuman dimension-the product of advanced biotechnology. Recovering from her mission on Mars, Sparta finds herself the guest of the Space Board.

But relaxation is short-lived as she sets out on an interplanetary investigation-of the Space Board itself! Members of the Free Spirit, a religious cult intending to gain control of all the worlds of our galaxy, have infiltrated the Space Board.

As the date of the manned mission into the clouds of Jupiter approaches, Sparta's suspicions grow. She is certain the mission has fallen into the hands of the cult, and she is determined to stop it.

Her code name is Sparta. Her beauty veils a mysterious past and abilities far surpassing those of a normal human-the first product of advanced biotech engineering.

At long last, evidence of extraterrestrial life has been found: a plaque discovered on the edge of the north polar icecap on Mars. And when the theft of that alien artifact leads to two murders in the Labyrinth City, Sparta must risk her life and her identity to solve the case.

As the mystery unravels, the investigation becomes a race across the stars to retrieve the plaque, a quest which will ultimately uncover even more evidence than Earth's scientists have ever discovered!

This new edition contains revised technical drawings and specifications.

Her code name is Sparta, whose beauty veils a mysterious past and abilities of superhuman dimension; the product of advanced biotech engineering.

When a team of scientists is trapped in the gaseous inferno of Venus, Sparta must risk her life to save them, unaware that her actions will help recover a mysterious artifact: irrefutable evidence of life on another planet.

- CHICAGO SUN TIMES

Her code name is Sparta. Her beauty veils a mysterious past and abilities far surpassing those of a normal human. For she is more than human: Sparta is the first product of advanced biotech engineering. But now she is little more than a cipher to herself-crucial memories of the past three years are locked away in the dark recesses of her brain.

When the crippled freighter Star Queen arrives at Venus Station with a lone survivor on board, Sparta must risk her life to investigate what really happened during its deadly voyage in space.

She must solve this mystery even as she unlocks another-the truth behind her own identity. . .

This tautly paced story brings together the genius of Arthur C. Clarke and Paul Preuss, whose work has been described by The NEW YORK TIMES as "Lively, intelligent . . . hard-driving."