They Cannot Scare Me with Their Empty Spaces

A Dark Expanse Story

Following the departure of the galactic overlords the Zyxlar, the Silicate desert world of Charmed Rock descends into chaos. When the Thoknar Protectorate steps in, Lat (always one to obey the Elders' commands) is the first to join this paramilitary crime organization.

Lat is the kind of solider who gets through by shouting agreement to his sergeant's commands. But he's uneasy about collecting protection money from the impoverished citizens of Horde City. Being a kind-hearted type of guy, he begins to use his own money instead. Alas, Lat is not an academic thinker, and he soon gets caught and receives a punishment exile tracking and killing the dangerous scorpials in the bad lands.

But in the empty spaces, Lat has time to do some thinking. When a sandstorm drives him into the presence of an old enemy, Lat finds that the world is a more complicated place than he'd realized