Space travel isn't really Sloane Tarnish's thing. She's a med student, not a planet jumper – though to be honest, nano healing and gene therapy aren't exactly her thing, either. And she's definitely not leadership material.

Unfortunately, her outlaw of an uncle didn't take her lack of skill into consideration when he disappeared. Instead, he decided to saddle Sloane with his questionable crew – a cranky pilot and a mad scientist – plus a ship that only answers to Sloane.

Sloane just needs to raise enough cash to find her uncle and get back to her life. Desperate, she accepts a bounty job in a system where a recent power vacuum has left crime festering in every corner. No one else wants to go there, but how bad could it really be?

When the Commander of the Galactic Fleet himself shows up in pursuit of the same bounty, Sloane refuses to be intimidated – even if it means tiptoeing across a political minefield. The reward is just too big to give up. But as dangers close in on all sides, she can't help wondering if she'll live to claim it…