In this collection of postmodern science fiction in the formalist vein of Ted Chiang and Ursula K. LeGuin, a convict on the run, a ship captain, a corrupt politician, and an android princess are caught up in the complexities of life in the Omega Cluster. The Omega Cluster is a sector of space, home to hundreds of species from varied political ideologies, religious backgrounds, and cultural beliefs. The landscape of this sector is forever changing be it by beings from another dimension or ambassadors from a realm of space called the Veil making it difficult for one to thrive.