Penumbra, a haphazard city of outcasts, rebels, and malcontents, has floated around a dead planet in a backwater system for longer than living memory can recall. Its towers abandoned starships melded to an ancient, mysterious core, Penumbra is the last remnant of chaotic individualism in a galaxy where conformity to the will of the all-powerful Galactic Council is paramount. Dropped into this dangerous mix is Marcus Wells, a human of Earth who has squandered his potential to live a life of least resistance, and his adventurous friend Justin. Immediately entangled in local politics and targeted by a vengeful representative of the Council determined to drag the city back into the fold, Marcus has a choice to make: continue following the path of least resistance and allow Penumbra to fall, or show these aliens what a truly determined Human can accomplish.