My name is Mike “Magnet” Williams. I've come a long way. These days I have my own ship, the Rubens. We stole it from the Toralii Alliance. For the last year the Rubens has been tasked with ‘counter-logistical privateering’ against the Toralii Alliance, attacking their military supply network.

We hit them hard, we get out, we do it all over again. Modern day buccaneers given total autonomy. We're alone, without another Human within a thousand light years.

If only that were true.

Somewhere out in the black, around a remote moon covered in ice that's kilometres thick, we found something. Something that was not supposed to be there. Something we were not supposed to find.

Scarecrow.

I can take a lot of pressure. Fighter pilots are supposed to be able to do that. Whatever the universe throws at me, I can handle it. So far I've faced aliens, friendly and otherwise, and I've seen things that so very few Humans have. I've dealt with it all.

But not this. Not my own conscience.

15,700-word story in the Lacuna universe, set after the events of Magnet: Marauder and Lacuna: The Ashes of Humanity, but suitable for reading as a stand-alone story.

Parts of the Lacuna universe:

- Magnet

- Magnet: Special Mission

- Magnet: Marauder

- Magnet: Scarecrow (new release!)

- Imperfect

- Faith

The Lacuna series:

- Lacuna

- Lacuna: The Sands of Karathi

- Lacuna: The Spectre of Oblivion

- Lacuna: The Ashes of Humanity (new release!)

- Lacuna: The Prelude to Eternity (coming soon!)