Trained to fight, lead, and sail the ocean that is space, Nel Vaughn has the makings of a hero. She should have been the best, but Nel forsake a career with the Alliance and now sails the Free Lanes on the Tantamount with its misfit crew, Kitsune cabin girl, and absent-minded captain. During a stopover for repairs, Nel and the Tantamount are coerced into ferrying medical cargo to a planet at war. Complicating the job are the Tantamount's unwanted passengers-a Guildswoman, her golem, and a charming, mysterious stranger-each with their own agenda. When Nel discovers the sinister truth behind their mercy mission, her simple goal of keeping her ship intact and her crew safe seems impossible . . . unless Nel chooses to be the hero she was meant to be.