Aliens. Space pirates. Dragons. Madison Wayward, niece to the most notorious captain among the outlaw Stardrifters, has a plan. She'll stop at nothing to give humanity a flicker of hope in its darkest hour. If she would consider pausing, her plans might not blow up in her face quite so much. Kirehe Mahono, a skilled warrior with an uncommon gift, has a dragon. She'll stop at nothing to protect her people from the enemy machines infesting her planet. If she had something better than a knife to bring to a laser fight, she might have better luck. Taken prisoner by tyrannical aliens and dumped into a slave pit, both women will have to harness their strengths to survive. And escape.

Warlords. Lost fleets. Dragons. Madison Wayward's best laid plan survived contact with the enemy. High on the rush of leading the first successful escape from the hellish nightmare of Rikor Six, she has one find her uncle. The notorious Captain Wayward, the most wanted human in the sector, can protect her from the outrageous bounty on her head. Kirehe Mahono can't decide if she made the right choice. Compared to her sweltering home world, space is...cold. What can dragons even do in the cramped confines of spaceships? At least she knows she can trust Madison and the rest of their ragtag band of fellow escapees. Most of them, anyway. The galaxy's tyrannical, immortal overlords must be stopped. To do it, the team will have to undertake the greatest challenge imaginable. They'll have to convince a bunch of space pirates to work together. Or die trying.