"Sell the Gem and settle here on Kiantite Five." It was the one sentence that Zheen never thought that her father would ever say. After nearly being destroyed by an ion storm and an encounter with an asteroid field, they've been grounded. Holas and Zheen are left with few options when they realise how long and how much money it will take to repair their beloved ship. Now the choice must be made.

Before Holas and Zheen joined the Star Runner, before they became part of the crew that would shape the rest of their lives, they were faced with the most terrible prospect that any space-farer could ever face – never being able to travel the stars again. This is the story of the choices that they had to make.