The Aetherion Code: The Spark
SOMETIMES, ONLY THE YOUTH CAN SEE THE TRUTH.
In 2053, whether you live in Zimbabwe, South Korea, or America, the clouds all look the same.
You are living in the world of Atlas Hawkins. After a catastrophic world war, he controls how most people think and act. And yes, he even controls the weather.
If you’re a teenager, wherever you are, your every move is monitored, and you must not step out of line. Even the smallest transgression will get you sent to the new juvenile penal colony on Mars: Camp Constellation.
But nineteen-year-old Hester is not your average teenager. She is on a secret mission that she's willing to risk everything for - and believes the newest AI being used as therapy bots at the Camp on Mars might just hold the key.
Life at Constellation is a far cry from what Hester imagined it would be, though. She’s thrown together with a group of juvies who are forced to confront not only their sins, but also their strengths. They realize this place might just turn out to be everything they wish Earth could be.
That is, if they can get out alive.
Serving time on Mars is one thing- but this just got WAY more complicated.
CONTENT WARNING: This novel contains occasional mature language and themes suitable for older teens.
Main Characters
Hester, 19 - Washington, D.C. USA
Quirky and brave, coding is like breathing to her.
Newest programmer for Camp Constellation. Youngest civilian to be appointed to work for the military in 25 years.
She’s spent the last two years disgusted at how numbed out everyone is on Earth. She can’t wait to get to Mars and away from most of humanity.
Though Hester appears unfazed by most things, she is ultimately still a young soul, and her secret experiment might prove to be her undoing.
Ash Deung, 20 - Iksan, S. Korea
Traumatized, intense, heartbroken.
Sentenced to seven years for attempted murder. Five years already served at IKsan detention facility.
Failed by the system and his family, Ash has a glimmer of hope at Constellation when he feels he is earning respect, but shuts down again when the system fails him once more.
Juni Legrosse, 17 - W. Virginia, USA
A computer genius who finds tech more comforting than people.
Sentenced to 15 months on Mars for hacking into the NSA military base where her father works to try and alleviate the endless boredom caused by the heavy restrictions placed on teenagers on Earth.
Juni wants to keep her head down and just serve her time, but finds herself drawn to Sho, and ends up facing the biggest challenge of her life.
Drew Kapoor-Ryan, 17 - London, UK
Droll, low-cortisol energy. A burgeoning writer, they fInd musing on death comforting.
Sentenced to 22 months for making and selling an illicit substance, which they stole from a pharmacy their parents own.
Initially suspicious about the unusual way in which the teenagers at Constellation are dealt with, Drew eventually can't help but to be pulled into the center of this odd band of Martians.
Shohiwa Moyo, 18 - Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
Thoughtful and grounded. "Sho" has been underestimated his whole life, except by his loving family.
Sentenced to 36 months for assaulting a local politician.
He and Juni have a deep connection. Sho is able to perceive the wounds in others at the colony because of his own history, and his wisdom is his greatest strength. He is the moral compass of the group.
Cadmus - AI assigned qualities of a 25 year old male.
Damon - AI assigned qualities of a 25 year old male.
Built in New Delhi, January, 2053. Designed by Lehmann Industries.
Sent to Constellation for administering therapy to the teen inmates there, these are the most sophisticated form of Al robot available in 2053. Captain Althea Ellis, who runs the colony on Mars, is testing their capabilities by having them programmed by Hester to be therapy bots for the teens.
But something happens to Damon and Cadmus that their processors never could have predicted, putting them in the crosshairs of both evolution and revolution.
A note regarding the cover art for "The Spark."
The cover for our first book has had quite a journey, as have we, so, in the interest of full disclosure, we wanted to share our process with you.
As we began to envision the art which would accompany our story, we got very excited deciding how much to reveal about where our adventure is headed. We initially hired an illustrator to draw a cover for us based on our ideas, but the result did not quite fit the specific tone and energy of our story. We then talked about using AI to generate an image because our trilogy has a major plot line regarding the relationship between humanity and AI. We decided to make an AI template and to hire a new book designer to illustrate our cover by iterating on that. Conceptually, we liked this idea of blending AI and human art - specifically because it represented our story.
But we now know how naive we were about the way AI models crawl and steal artists’ works in order to generate images. After having that pointed out to us by patient, conscionable friends, and doing more research ourselves, we realize we can no longer knowingly use generative AI for our covers or promotional content until an equitable agreement is made between these companies and the artists. (We also hold hope for a time that the heavy load these LLM’s place on the environment can be mitigated.)
It was a very powerful feeling to be able to create something we dreamt up in our heads, with just a few lines of written prompt. That is why this type of technology can be so seductive – you feel a sense of ownership because you imagined it and suddenly it’s there in front of you. But the idea of ownership is currently unethical. That fallacy is a metaphor for AI in general: our lives are made easier in so many ways, but at what ultimate cost? We must stop and think about the consequences and remain in control of this tool before we lose ourselves- our value, our creativity, our humanity itself- in its thrall.
This is a question we continue to explore in our trilogy- and we’re continuing to learn and grow in this experience. We’re grateful for everyone’s ongoing guidance & patience. We’re happy to be on this journey with you.
With much love,
Fay & Bellamy
Aug 8th, 2025
ps: Our dream is to share a new edition of Book One: The Spark with new cover art, perhaps as we ramp up for the release of Book Two. We’re already in conversations with artists. So stay tuned for that!