Thirteen-year-old Resh has one job: keep six street kids alive.
When their gang leader turns slaver, her desperate telepathic scream brings help from the Suerte—a family trading ship where, suspiciously, everything is free.
Safety. Education. Hot chocolate before bed. The chance to carve wood and sell it for real money. A family who asks nothing in return.
Resh doesn't trust it. She's survived by calculating costs, and experience has taught her there's always a price. Always.
But nine-year-old Rikosh's cat paintings are attracting professional dealers. The kids are building a real business in station markets. And the family keeps not asking for payment.
Maybe belonging doesn't have to be earned.
A cozy science fiction novel about found family, art, trade, and discovering that safety can be freely given.
