A short novel set on Shenzhen Sphere, a planet or territory run by autonomous AIs that form a collective known as The Mandate, and where some humans choose to become "haruspex" and share their bodies with AIs. Orfea Leung is a doctor who wants to start a new life there after working as a mercenary for Amaryllis, but she meets her ex-girlfriend, Krissana Khongtip, who she believes to have betrayed them when they both worked as mercenaries.Â
Shenzhen Sphere appears to largely consist of some kind of projected images. Everyone has "overlays" that appear in their visual field, presumably using some kind of optical implant. Krissana also has optics instead of "flesh eyes". The possibilities and consequences of autonomous AIs are central to the story.