Earth is dying.
Governor Gregory McAlistair launches GALAX-762, giving people a choice: stay on what’s left of Earth, or board an A-K16 shuttle to safe colonies across the stars. Fresh air, stable cities, and a real future are finally within reach.
Frankie Haist chooses Vespera 9, the galaxy’s infamous pleasure colony. Humans can stay only if they secure a Bond Sponsor, and Frankie assumed “bonding” meant paperwork and cohabitation–something practical she could handle.
The system “glitches” and assigns her to Cal D’Hul, Vespera 9’s cold, lethal Bond Enforcer. He wants her reassigned. The system refuses to let either of them walk away.
But as shuttles start arriving over capacity and unauthorized humans show up claiming they never chose it at all, she realizes something else is happening here.
