Life is hard when you're trying to outrun a vengeful pirate king. When the intergalactic Gate Niko Larsen and her crew plan on traveling through turns out to be out of commission, they make the most of things, creating a popup restaurant, the Second Last Chance, to serve dozens of other stranded ships. Niko smells something suspicious when archaeologist Jezli Farren shows up claiming to be able to fix the Gate. Farren, however, may know an ancient site and a weapon that can stop Tubal Last before he can take his revenge. In one of the most dangerous places in the Known Universe, everyone must face their ghosts: Talon attempts a desperate and highly illegal act to regain his lost twin, Atlanta must discard her old role and find a new one, Dabry confronts memories of his lost daughter, and Niko must find Petalia again, despite her promise not to. Meanwhile, You Sexy Thing contemplates what it wants from life—which may be very different from what Niko and the rest of the crew want.