Chapter 1: The Worst Ship in the Fleet

Captain Mara Venn stared at her new ship.

“This is a joke.”

The mechanic shook his head.

“No.”

“That makes it worse.”

The ship was called the Wanderer.

It had been retired twice.

Its artificial intelligence introduced itself.

“Welcome aboard. Probability of mission success: thirty-two percent.”

Mara sighed.

“Can you improve that?”

“Yes.”

“To what?”

“Thirty-three percent.”

Her crew consisted of a mechanic, a navigator, and a former pirate.

Mara wondered whether resigning before launch would be considered professional.

Then the ship departed.