A former soldier and drop pilot turned smuggler. Also an addict, he was broken by the galactic war and left dependent on a potent narcotic to numb his trauma and physical pain. The illicit substance he transports is highly volatile—a lethal threat to the users who crave it and anyone unfortunate enough to cross their path. Originally engineered as a stimulant painkiller for frontline infantry, soldiers soon discovered that superheating the compound with a laser and inhaling the vapour completely erased their fears and suffering.

Now, the smuggler has flown a stolen cargo ship across the solar system for a high-stakes rendezvous on a remote space station. He was told there is a cure and that it would be life-changing along with more money than he could ever spend. The drug's final side effect is absolute: ocular deterioration followed by swift, inevitable death. Yet, certain doom does not deter the soldiers using this substance. They know it only goes one way, but they cannot stop. Waiting at the coordinates are the station cartel bosses, ruthless syndicates happy to burn through soldiers and dump the corpses from the airlock. After all, the rim is full of desperate souls. They are entirely expendable.