We’re the third ship to take this job. What happened to the other two? Commander Nakoma Kai, a (mostly) reformed screw-up with a secret, puts life and limb on the line salvaging wrecks. The ship’s an antique, the pay’s erratic, and her crewmates the usual mishmash of misfits ready to breach the boundaries of civilized space... for a fee. But when they find a survivor on a ship eight months missing in the void, a quick death is kinder than the horror taking hold of the crew.  If you love Firefly and Alien and ever wondered what would happen a snarky starship crew met a monster with a touch of magic, come aboard the Wayward Rhapsody in Better Off Dead, Book 1 of Variant Stars.