At the close of the twenty-first Century, Lee Vidar is a "switch pilot" working for Starship Industries on the Callisto-Europa run.
The job is easy: Lee picks up the Orion engines used to power the first starships on the long voyage to the Hope colony, in the Alpha Centauri system. Long-haul pilots take these "dirty," dangerous engines to the midpoint of the run, where Lee hands off to another switch pilot and returns to Callisto.
On this run, nothing goes according to plan. Rumors are flying, news channels sizzle ... and Lee's sometime lover, Johnny Dujon, is involved up to his eyeballs.
Passion blossoms unexpectedly against the background of an overpopulated, ruined solar system, where Hope is the last prayer of humanity. And humanity is in big trouble. Hard SF with a twist of mystery and a dash of romance from long-time favorite Mel Keegan.
