Garry Owen

Welcome to Earth, 2271. Genes aren't just patented--often, they're copyrighted, and megacorps charge dowries to women seeking to have children. Life expectancy is well over 120--but having children is still a young woman's game, assuming that their genes aren't already owned. Artificial Intellects (Artilects) are watched for any sign of TB--Turing Breakout. Nations still vie for influence and dominance--but do so not only on Earth, but among their extrasolar colonies as well.   The United States Aerospace Force reprises the role of U. S. Cavalry of the Old West, protecting American settlers from marauders, representing the final line of authority backing the U.S. Marshals' Service--and providing a haven for America's outcasts. In the Old West, the Irish-born trooper was a cliche to the point that the 7th Cavalry adopted an Irish reel, "Garry Owen," as their regimental quickstep. 400 years later, Aerospace Force Frontier Operations Commandos have adopted the tradition, only now it's because their enhancements make them not quite human any more...   Meet Warrant Officer Colleen Moreno, Aerospace Force Combat Controller and Special Weapons Security Team Operator. Her family ruined by copyright violation lawsuits, unable to find a wealthy husband, unable to be a commissioned officer because she's too far from baseline, and shunned by the very society she serves, she fights for Garry Owen in glory...