On Company Time

Freedom Station. It’s a supply outpost, and the kind of place where if you’re not working for the good of the Company, you’re not part of the Company. And if you’re not part of the Company, you’re from Earth. And Earthies have no business in the Black. Freedom Station is part of the Asteroid Belt, and that’s Company territory. Nobody who ruined Earth is going to come up and ruin space, too.

At least, that’s what Jack thinks. He’s always lived on Freedom Station, working and being cared for by the station – as long as he works, that is. He’s got no family but his boss, but he knows Freedom, and he thinks he knows who belongs. Earthies visit, but they don’t stay. Those who get dumped had better find a job. The other workers hunt down Rats – the kids who have been abandoned or run away to the Station – and they bring them down. There’s no room on Freedom Station for anybody to just suck down resources and not give back. Jack’s paid his dues, and he’s about to move on, when he finds a Rat… with a droid… There are people who will pay big to find that droid, and Jack’s in need of money.

But Kit’s not just a Rat, she’s a girl… with a name… and a need. Jack's conscience won't let him leave her, so for now it's Spacer and Rat , and everything about the universe is just the opposite of what Jack’s been taught to believe.