Matt the loser. Matt the slacker. Matt the nobody. Matt Kander is a small cog in the Commonwealth bureaucracy until the chance discovery of a customs error leaves him jobless and destitute. When an unexpected offer takes him off-world, he is thrust into an escalating conflict with the neighbouring empire. Running from bombs, plasma guns and missiles, he escapes in a luxury cruise ship only for his real troubles to begin. Hailed as a traitor, a terrorist and a hero, Matt must live long enough to decide who he is.