A school-girl turned space marine. A slum-boy taken under the wing of a terrorist. Both must betray their guardians to rescue the victims of war.

The military are turning orphans into killing machines, and Oshun is bribed to fight in a war on another planet. When an unforeseen catastrophe befalls her space vessel, she discovers her hopes are based on lies. Oshun should be happy that a space freighter will take her home. But she doesn't want to return because her mum's dead, and she has no one else. Oshun's a cyborg now. Through virtual reality training, during cryosleep, she witnessed atrocities on that red-sun world. Will she be forced to return to an empty home, or will she find a way to hide and then fight against injustice?

Frankie and his pet sparikat don't know what a decent meal is until a terrorist takes them from their slum and nurtures them in his communist base. But Frankie knows that killing innocents is wrong. Although the terrorist is like a big brother, Frankie must betray him to rescue the victims of war. He's got the right gun, he possesses a hoverboard. But does he have the guts to kill the bad guys?

Cyborg Assassin 1 is the first book in Rayner's military space opera series. If you like fast-paced adventure, unexpected twists, and dark war stories, then you'll love this.