A scream for help across the hard black, then silence.
That was the start of Chad Forradel's bad day. One minute he was checking out a planet of bug corpses, the next he's catching a ride on an old heavy lifter, bound for a system infested with pirates.
When Chad reaches New Haven, he finds the space terraforming platform all but destroyed, all hands lost. The insect-like Ezeroc have returned, and this time they have subverted a Navy corvette. One guy — charming, handsome, and good with a blade, but still just one guy — against a whole warship is hard enough. But the Ezeroc are after an esper hidden on the pirate ship, a human newly awakened to their mental powers. If the Ezeroc get their hands on the esper, they will make a monster capable of toppling the Empire.
So. Get in. Kill the pirates. Kill the space insects. Save the baby esper. If Chad can't, everyone everywhere will die, horribly. If he does, he'll probably have to babysit some kid for the rest of his life.
What could go wrong?
Tyche's Gravedigger is the final story in Richard Parry's gripping Tyche Origins hexalogy. If you like page-turning space opera with great dialogue and heart-pumping action, grab your copy. Also in the Tyche Origins collection.