Duped into a spa day, Billa finds out that she is the chosen offering to an ancient being from the stars. The massage wasn’t that good. Billa has made her way with menial tasks to get her from world to world. She has learned to defend herself against other crewmen and switches ships when she needs to. Her latest ship is unremarkable, but they have a two-day layover, and Billa wants to spend some of her transport money. She has made arrangements at the only hotel in town that would take reservations and had a spa. Spa days are what she lived for. Billa runs into an ancient rite and finds herself with a starring role in the festivities. When a drake emerges from a hole in space and tries to take her as his tribute, the offering makes a run for it, with temporary success.