Adam

“Was there a pang of remorse for his actions in his mind? Possibly, but what choice did he have? If he wanted to survive, he had no room for weakness.

Max Nowaz’s science fiction novel, The Arbitrator, follows the story of 153 year-old Jim Brown, a former highly successful administrator who is now rotting in jail, for tax fraud. However, in reality, he is there for taking revenge and killing several people on the planet Levita, after meeting the beautiful Narissa...

In prison, he has acquired a drug habit, which is killing him slowly and his only chance of survival is a very expensive renewal process, which will make him young again and cure his drug habit. After ten years in jail, he is suddenly given a reprieve and offered a chance to redeem himself. He is sent as the ‘Arbitrator’ to ‘Pirrus’ in another solar system, to try and stop a rebellion and bring matters under control. Will he complete the mission successfully to earn enough funds for his regeneration? Only time will tell.
This novel tries to portray realistically, the darker side of colonisation, where a population is ruthlessly exploited in the guise of bringing them civilisation. Brown, a well-oiled cog in such a system prides himself on being ruthlessly efficient in his tyrannical task of keeping the population down, has a change of heart after meeting Gina, a girl he uses as his plaything.
He then slowly embarks on a path of self-emancipation in trying to better the lot of the people under his charge. He is not only up against his own government, the EPA, but also against other forces trying to overthrow him. He also discovers a plot by some external powers trying to invade the planet and is hurled into an epic adventure in a game of survival.
This novel may not be everybody's cup of tea, because of its complex political undertones as it tries to show the insidious underbelly of an autocratic form of colonisation, though it can be enjoyed simply as a great Sci-Fi adventure story.

Arbitrator, Jim Brown is returning to Earth after completing a successful mission to put down a revolution on and also thwarting an invasion of the planet Pirrus, an Earth colony. While there he found out that he is part alien and this secret had been hidden from him since birth.

Brown finds that an alien species has successfully assimilated themselves with the humans on Earth and is ruling over them covertly. When an attempt is made to kidnap him, he realises he has become a target in a hidden game where different groups are vying for power, complicated by the introduction of artificial humans and super androids to boost Earth’s population and armies.

Some ruling factions are preparing for war against the planet Levita and re-conquest of a group of planets, former colonies in the Delta Quadrant, who have declared their independence from Earth.

Brown realises that he is also running the gauntlet of former enemies who are out to get him. He is desperate to thwart the prospects of war against Levita, where he has a son he has never met and is also against re-colonisation after his recent experiences on Pirrus.

Aboard The Space Adventurer, the cruise ship on which he is returning, he meets two beautiful women. Marika, who has been sent as his minder, by the EPA, Earth Policy Administration, to keep an eye on Brown as they don’t fully trust him and Leela, the daughter of Earth’s biggest industrialist, who is secretly building the super androids on a space hub, where the ship makes a stop.

He soon realises that he is in a desperate battle for survival, before he can even reach Earth and the big bash the EPA is throwing for him, for successfully completing his mission on Pirrus.