[Participant in Nov Writathon 2023] Hiiro Volshebso, former terraforming pioneer turned house painter is chasing a question. On a rescue mission to the arctic regions of his home planet, as those around him froze to death or starved in a months long blizzard, he heard a voice in his head-- one that whispered the secrets of the universe and helped keep him alive. Now, he want's to know exactly what was speaking to him. His search for the answer will take him to distant stars and planets in the company of the Stalking Shadow, a band of spacefaring mercenaries gunning their way from one job to the next. Faced with the hard truths of reality, Hiiro confronts the unknown corners of the wider galaxy as a gun for hire. [*placeholder cover art]