Synopsis: In 2016, a crew constructing an orbital telecommunications system for the world learns that the US government secretly plans to use it for universal surveillance. From the back cover of the Ace first edition: "Help wanted: long hours, dangerous conditions, must be willing to relocate... They are the men and women who are building the future. The beamjacks. The zero-gee construction workers hired to assemble gigantic satellites in the vacuum of space. on the job, a moments carelessness can lead to catastrophe. But the hardest part comes when the working day is over: boredom, homesickness, and the painful memories of the Earth they've left behind. Management and the military think they have the beamjacks under control. They're wrong."