When Sameena’s brother accidentally annoys a religious leader on her homeworld, her entire family is targeted for elimination. Forced to flee to save her life, Sameena stows away on a trader starship and is eventually welcomed into the crew, embracing their very different culture and making a new life for herself amongst the stars. But the Galactic Empire is starting the final descent into chaos and her new home is on the verge of collapse, while secretive forces are maneuvering to take advantage of the Empire’s collapse. If Sameena cannot find a way to keep some small part of civilization intact, the galaxy will crash into a new dark age that will last far longer than a thousand years.