WITH A MINIMAL CREW MAINTAINING ITS automated systems, the Transtellar cargo transporter SS Pentallian ferries its load across the Torajii system, half a universe away from the Earth. Run as cheaply as possible by Captain Kath McDonnell, the vessel operates an illegal fusion energy scoop to collect fuel by scooping the surfaces of suns. To avoid detection by the authorities, McDonnell neglects to scan the sphere of hot plasma which forms Torajii before taking on board the sun particles vital for her engines…