RUSTY STARLANDS Book One: Sky-Crowned Trees

Mars survives because of the colossal living structures known as Sky-Crowned Trees. These bio-engineered giants regulate the fragile atmosphere, water cycles, and climate of a world that should never have been habitable. Created by a new generation of Earth’s technological nobility, they remain a triumph of engineering—and a mystery no one truly understands. When an unusual observation report emerges from deep within the forest of Trees, Tao Kaeryn is sent to investigate. His family controls the Star Furnaces, miniature fusion engines buried beneath the Martian surface, feeding the Trees like the hidden roots of a vast forest. Tao believes the Trees must grow slowly and carefully. But powerful political factions are forcing the terraforming project forward at a dangerously accelerating pace. As pressure mounts and strange anomalies multiply, Tao begins to suspect that someone is manipulating a technology far beyond their understanding. At his side stands Lynn Sarion—his most trusted officer and closest ally. Until the moment she commits a betrayal that should have been impossible. What follows is a mystery buried deep within the systems that keep Mars alive—where ambition, inheritance, and survival collide. A science-fantasy story of planetary engineering, living megastructures, political intrigue, explosive conflict, and the fragile systems that sustain an entire world. Some chapters may include concept illustrations, when time, energy, and basic survival conditions allow. Update schedule: Tuesday & Friday