Thor Stokel had always dreamed of being master of his own ship, and the Silver Star is a dream ship: fast, sleek and powerful. But leaving the safety of his military career in the DHC behind to become an independent merchant fast becomes a nightmare of endless solo flights, paperwork, bad deals and customs disasters.

When he's imprisoned over the latest customs and paperwork mistake, Thor's luck finally starts to change. Incarceration leads to his first crewmate - and then a second. But it also leads to an increase in his paranoia: something doesn't add up about his beautiful new ship, the AI is erratic, and he's increasingly sure that his crewmates are hiding something. And now he thinks the Silver Star is being followed . . .

Exhausted, isolated, and still just trying to make ends meet, Thor Storkel is either the most paranoid man in space . . . or he's a vital part of a galaxy-spanning conspiracy, that's going to depend on his being paranoid enough to survive it . . .

. . . And Marca N'baro still needs a whale . . .