Captain Milanor Milestone was at his wit's end. With hollow eyes, he stared at his starship: Helios. State-of-the-art engine, premium armaments, luxurious passenger comfort, and stellar maintenance bill. She was a ship with so many superlative traits in her role, including the tendency of sucking in credits from his wallet like some kind of financial black hole.

"Gah, no more!" came a wail that resonated light-years into the vacuum, as regular as a pulsar. So recurrent in its frequency that it was possible his outcry would be the first message intercepted by intelligent extraterrestrials.

But then, a stroke of good luck! An easy and mundane but high-paying job came into his lap. "It's a straightforward delivery assignment to a nondescript destination. There's no need for concern," Milanor said in elation, unknowingly setting up a flag for an event beyond anything from his imagination.