the ontarrin galaxy is a rough and tumble place young dar meltom knows this for fact as the half breed offspring of an incredibly unlikely joining between an earthling male and a satiren female he knows what fighting is all about having spent his childhood on erotis 3 getting into fights because he was different dars only solace comes from watching the stars hes crazy about them he dreams about them and secretly wishes to be among themhis mother denrika knows her son is at a disadvantage living in a purebred society his chances for getting a job after he graduates school are slim until one day a large alien strolls into the general store where she works his name is gwog and hes captain of the space freighter cunik little does he know denrika will convince him that he needs another crew membera seventeen year old half breed with his head in the starsdar joins the crew of the cunik and quickly learns that space life isnt all that its cracked up to be after being on board only a few days hes stricken with skrinnian fever and nearly dies gwog and karnis nurse him back to health and then he learns more important lessons about death pirates love and the value of the friends hes made until such time as hes on his own dar absorbs everything gwog teaches him then one night a game of sirrixian poker changes his life forever