Astra Idari lives in the shadows. It’s easier that way. A Stargun Messenger hunting thieves who steal the rare fuel that powers starships faster than light, she’s afraid to live as she truly is: a human being. Most only see an android with a failing memory stitched together by her ship’s irascible AI.
When a job leads her to Gen Emera, the last living star, her humanity is put to the test. Idari discovers a dark secret: starship fuel isn’t some trick of physics. It’s the blood of the living stars. Idari’s work protects a lie: intergalactic civilization is built on genocide.
Idari faces a stark choice. Either she turns Emera over to her shadowy employers who control the fuel trade for a huge payday, or invites their wrath to save Emera. The choice should be simple, but the fate of the galaxy depends on Idari’s humanity… and whether she can remember it.