The Ship held an ancient secret that meant life to the dying east-aways of the void. Then Wes Kirk revealed the secret to his people's enemies—and found that his betrayal meant the death of the girl he loved. Leigh Brackett was the queen of space opera and the first woman to be nominated for the Hugo Award. She was also a screenwriter who worked on such films as The Big Sleep, Rio Bravo, The Long Goodbye and The Empire Strikes Back.