Under the benevolent leadership of the League of Peoples, there is no
war, little crime, and life is sacred...unless you're an Explorer. The
ugly, the flawed, the misfit, the deformed, they are the unwanted, flung
to the farthest corners of the galaxy to investigate hostile planets and
strange, vicious creatures. Out there, there are a thousand
different--and terrible--ways to die.
Festina Ramos belongs to the well-trained, always-dwindling ranks of
ECMs (Expendable Crew Members). Now she and her partner, Yarrun Derigha,
have been ordered to escort the unstable Admiral Chee to Melaquin--the
feared "Planet of No Return"-- which has swallowed up countless
Explorers before them without a trace. Obviously, this is meant to be
the last mission for Ramos and Derigha. But it won't be, if Festina can
help it.