Star Cops: Mars Part 2

Once again, this second volume of the mini-series feels more like two stories than one, with it being the second one that's a two-parter this time. However, with the background arc of the first volume having moved to the forefront since the cliffhanger ending, it could equally well be regarded as a single story, and one with plenty of links to events in the first half.

Bodies of Evidence – The first episode is essentially an hour-long flashback, revealing what Priya and Paul were doing during the events of the first half of this “season”. As a result, a fair part of this takes place on the Moon, rather than on Mars, although the connections are apparent from the outset. Once we do get to Mars, the mystery deepens, bringing the background arc of the previous three episodes into focus, and intercutting with events from two of them, now seen from another perspective. Priya and Paul are the main characters here, but the other three regulars also appear, along with the US commander of Barack Obama Base, introduced at the beginning of the “season”. It's an engaging story, cleverly written, and putting a lot of what has happened so far into context as well as opening up new mysteries. 5 stars.

Human Kind/The Highest Ground – The concluding two-parter brings events to a head as the villain goes all-out to protect his secret. The revelation of that secret – of what's really going on at his secret base on the Red Planet – is what forms the cliffhanger that separates the two episodes. Although anyone familiar with science fiction themes should have worked it out long before then, given the clues we're provided with in the previous episodes. The second half is more of an action piece than we normally get in this series, although it does put elements of the setting to good use as well as building on plot threads from the first volume. It's also notable that, unlike the previous episodes, all five of the main stars get their moment in the spotlight. The science isn't perfect, since the relative proximity of the Martian horizon would affect a few points here and there, but, on the whole, and allowing for the early stages of terraforming having affected the atmosphere, it's a good enough piece of hard SF that builds to a generally satisfying conclusion. 4.5 stars.