A former Marine captain, Ted Higgenbottom, and a former merchant captain, Christopher Jones, have teamed up as traders looking to earn some credits. At a hotel lounge on the planet Rhylanor, an enigmatic young woman offers them a lucrative job delivering secret cargo to natives of the planet Cipatwe. After accepting the deal, the business partners can’t help but notice that both they and their patron are being monitored by an interested third party.