Author Description

What are they doing here? Pilot and explorer Lieutenant Commander Matt Heller aboard the Union of Planets Geological Survey carrier John Wesley Powell is on a five-year mission exploring the Orion Arm. He and his shipmates are the first humans to venture this far from home, daring all. On a solo mission in the Brynne Barrens, an immense, mysterious, cosmic void, Matt receives an unexpected message: “Straight ahead, only five light-years—Paradise Alley Shipyard, Emporium, and Rec Center.” His universal translator sits idle. The message is in English.