Being a freelancer is never easy—especially in this intergalactic economy. Ship captain Zip Turbine usually has a sarcastic quip ready, but work has been rough, and the pay has been worse. After a string of bad jobs leaves her and her trusted companion Tom, a 5-foot-tall talking shrimp, nearly broke, any offer that keeps the ship flying looks good, even if that offer comes from the shadowy, ultra-rich, Manchester Corporation.
 
Zip and Tom find themselves in an employment situation more akin to extortion. Worse, the job comes with two mandatory and potentially murderous shipmates. Now saddled with their untrustworthy companions, Zip and Tom must race against a rival crew of mercenaries—led by Zip’s charming, deadly ex—to retrieve an asset from Kedasi, an abandoned theme park asteroid. Danger mounts as they discover their employer’s deceit and a terrifying truth: Only one team gets paid.