Klaarg took the job at the edge of known space to be as far away from the Asano Pact – from people – as possible. As the overseer of a factory that produces Kudj Kram, the cloned slave labor that keeps the corrupt system he represents running, his days are exactly as he wants them: empty and without incident. However, when his factory is targeted for closure, Klaarg discovers that he is as expendable to his superiors as the creatures in his charge.