Dreaming metal

Persephone is a planet wracked by class struggle and economic and political upheaval. Celinde Fortune is an entertainer, an illusionist who makes good money but plays the Empire theater, a venue prone to bomb threats. When she combines two advanced computer chips in a new way to sophisticate her act, the resulting form of computer life seems awfully like a true artificial intelligence. And this is beyond controversial—it could get her killed.