First Edition. Hardcover. Signed by the author in ink at bookplate. First Edition with full number line indicating first printing. 9 1/2" X 6 1/4". 321pp. Mild creasing and shelf wear to covers, corners, and edges of unclipped dust jacket. Gentle bumps to corners of black paper over boards. Pages are clean and unmarked. Binding is sound. Illumicrate is a monthly subscription that works with artists and authors to curate exclusive designs inspired by that month's book. This limited Illumicrate edition features lovely sprayed edges and an exclusive, signed bookplate

ABOUT THIS BOOK:

Xích Si: bot maker, data analyst, mother, scavenger. But those days are over now-her ship has just been captured by the Red Banner pirate fleet, famous for their double-dealing and cruelty. Xích Si expects to be tortured to death-only for the pirates' enigmatic leader, Rice Fish, to arrive with a different and shocking proposition: an arranged marriage between Xích Si and herself.

Rice Fish: sentient ship, leader of the infamous Red Banner pirate fleet, wife of the Red Scholar. Or at least, she was the latter before her wife died under suspicious circumstances. Now isolated and alone, Rice Fish wants Xích Si's help to find out who struck against them and why. Marrying Xích Si means Rice Fish can offer Xích Si protection, in exchange for Xích Si's technical fluency: a business arrangement with nothing more to it.

But as the investigation goes on, Rice Fish and Xích Si find themselves falling for each other. As the interstellar war against piracy intensifies and the five fleets start fighting each other, they will have to make a stand-and to decide what kind of future they have together...