Intergalactic trader, Ven Zaran, contracts to deliver an easy cargo to a non-confederation world. He is warned of the dangers this destination poses, but he can't forsee that it could be something he can't handle. While he is deliering the cargo his crew run afoul of a local regulation and his ship is seized and half his crew arrested. When Ven finally uncovers the extent of corruption in the planetary government, he realizes that he must resort to extreme measures if he wants to free his crew and get his ship back. He must turn to some underhanded tricks he learned from the parents he'd rather forget, but he will use them in his own way. Ven has dealt with some bad situations before, but a corrupt planetary government might just be harder to fight than pirates or gangsters.