War is hell. Especially in interstellar combat.

There, the distances between you and the enemy are counted in decades and the payout might not even cover the funerals for the people you lose on the way.

Meet the Rubber Ducks. A crew that raises eyebrows, contracts measured in light-years and body counts, led by an AI with memories that nobody really wants to question. Officially a catering company, unofficially one of the deadliest mercenary outfits still roaming the stars after the UN-ORCA wars. In the right circles, for the right contract, the guns come out, and someone always dies. The only thing they can’t fight is reality itself.

Set in the world of The Salvage Crew and Pilgrim Machines, this new book by award-winning author Yudhanjaya Wijeratne explores a grim universe where everything is a function of power and profit. From the dark edges of interstellar space comes a tale of warfare, artificial intelligence, and the fine line between killing others – and killing yourself.