Krystal Miles comes from a long line of engineers, her family being the ones responsible for extended space travel. Unfortunately, she decides to enlist as a medic instead of an engineer in the Intergalactic Marines. Hoping to make a name for herself as a medic and not an engineer, Krystal is selected as the head medic for the ESX Vesper, a military cargo craft. She meets Lieutenant Uepar, a genderless Saturnian and communications officer of the Vesper, and there is a certain attraction between the two. However, they know that there is something different about Krystal, and wonders why she's keeping her secret to herself. While traveling through the Quadrant, the crew encounters a stranded Venusian, Klazid Ser, a victim of a space pirate attack. The Vesper crew decides to take him in, to take him to an outpost on their delivery path. He is immediately drawn to Krystal but he also feels that she's hiding something about herself. Will this supply trip through Quadrant Two be as easy as the crew expects? And what does Uepar know about Krystal?