A research vessel crash-lands on the unexplored planet Tarsys-4. Five crew members must survive until rescue arrives, but the planet has its own agenda. Between a forest teeming with fire-breathing reptilian predators and a mysterious swamp biome crawling with aggressive fungal organisms, the crew finds themselves caught in the middle of an alien biological war.

A deep-space crew sent to investigate a lost ship finds more than they bargained for. A first contact goes sideways when an alien officer mistakes them for scavengers, and what follows is an unexpected journey through galactic bureaucracy, pirate encounters, and the discovery that humanity’s place in the universe is far more complicated than anyone imagined.