High school senior Tanner Malone has bombed the Test, a high-stakes exam that establishes how much he owes for his corporate-funded education. Burdened by a crushing personal debt that rules out college, Tanner enlists in the navy of Archangel, a celebrity system with four terraformed worlds. But he hasn’t factored in the area pirates.

Just as Tanner begins simple training, the federal government ramps up its forces to confront a music group of rowdy raiders who are wreaking havoc in the void. Led by complex and charismatic Captain Casey, the outlaws love a little murder and mayhem, but they may also be democratic, egalitarian, and specialized in freeing each fresh recruit from debts and commercial oppression.

Assigned to leading lines, Tanner soon finds himself caught in the crossfire between ruthless foes, cruel comrades, and unforgiving space. Can he perform his duty when good and evil look so much as well?