The ship lumbered and creaked against its own considerable weight. From out the side of a small porthole in his quarters, Oren Yadrette watched the myriad of infinitesimally small, unblinking lights move slowly across their deep and endless canvas. On most days, he could trick himself into thinking one of these distant specks was Earth—was home—but today he was having difficulty maintaining the illusion. Each day passed quickly by chronometer, but without real sunlight they all blended together. For the first year of his mission, Oren found respite from the oppressive blackness through his work as the chief of science and engineering aboard Warrant Conviction, his all-too-familiar home—or prison, depending on his mood.