A galaxy abandoned, a fleet broken down to build the next one, and three strangers on a station that does not pretend to be safe.
The crew of the Night Heron takes their first job together, which is the sort of thing one does before learning better.
The good news is that Lieutenant Gary is on the bridge. The bad news is the count.
Pirates, as a rule, do not take their losses philosophically. The crew swears upon the iron and sets course for a planet that wants very much to dissolve them.
The Night Heron has hummed the same phantom melody for as long as anyone can remember. Now something out in the dark is humming it back.
