Edie Sha'nim is a cypherteck, and the best in the galaxy. It's what she's been trained to do: manipulate biocyph to terraform alien worlds, while the Crib - her employer - drains the Fringe populations dry. When a band of rovers kidnaps her, Edie can't decide if it's a blessing or a curse. Until they leash her to her new bodyguard, Finn - a serf whose past isn't clear to anyone. If she strays from his side, he dies; if she fails to cooperate, the rovers will kill them both. The deal worsens when Edie finds they're taking her to her one failure... a planet called Scarabaeus. The world itself has a few surprises in store for Edie.