Sequel

Jubil Marken is drifting alone through deep space, abandoned by the crew of the Mercury II after refusing to join their mutiny. With only a few hours of oxygen left and an asteroid drawing him into its gravitational field, he faces death in absolute silence—yet feels an unexpected calm rather than fear or rage. His former comrade Radik keeps calling, offering one last chance to reconsider, but Jubil’s decision is firm.

As he drifts toward his bleak destination, memories return of the Academy and the brilliant friends who once seemed destined for greatness. Captain Kane is dead, genius engineer Schoenbirk has been lost to his own dangerous work, and Jubil wonders how he became the one left behind. Suspenseful and reflective, this science-fiction adventure follows a disgraced spacefarer confronting the consequences of hesitation, loyalty, and honor at the edge of the universe.