Planet Explorer. Volume 1

The former soldier applies to a program for solo research on uninhabited planets. On one hand, it’s an attempt to find himself—an Earthman’s midlife crisis. On the other, it’s a solution to personal problems of a representative of an alien race who has stalled in development, and her relatives’ attempt to “wake her up” (in Earth terms, roughly like recovering from autism) by leaving her alone on an uninhabited planet. Unclear whether luck was on their side—but they met.

Then an ancient “dead hand” system with an AI comes to life there, whose only purpose is to destroy the enemies of its former owners. Of course, the AI itself is evolving and trying to find a way out of its situation…