In the hour of death

Captain Obadiah Makele has dedicated his entire life to saving others. As his ship, the Tristan, returns from a humanitarian mission, he decides to use a short stop near a nascent star for a secret meeting with a man who could change the fate of humanity.

However, this single meeting triggers a chain of events that turns the rescue ship into a trap. The crew falls unconscious, the artificial intelligence is accused of treason, and the Tristan hurtles uncontrollably towards a protoplanetary disc full of planetesimals. Makele has only a matter of minutes to uncover the truth – and confront his own demons that have plagued him since childhood.

In an environment where neither technology nor people can be trusted, he will have to decide whether to remain true to his mission – even if it means paying the ultimate price.

This story is a standalone, self-contained short story from the world of the Space Association. No prior knowledge of the main novels in the series is required to read it, making it an ideal first taste of the author's expansive universe.