The Penitent Ocean: An Alien Romance

Carina, a human from an unremarkable farming colony, has cast her dreams aside after being framed for a crime she didn't commit. Trapped by her secrets, her debts and powers that are more of a curse than a blessing, she makes her way to Sentinel Station, one of the Avaki Empire's oldest and largest travel hubs, where she ekes out what life she can with little hope of change.

Vren, a dying man from a dying race, has fled his homeworld after committing murder, and fallen into a secure but empty life as a doctor on Sentinel Station. He's accepted that the last years of his life will be spent alone, until he meets a woman with unexpected skills and a dark past.

Tohru, a human born into captivity, freed himself but found the world outside to be larger and more hostile than he could have imagined. Tricked by a false offer of work, he is trapped again by the barriers between himself and others, and clings to the one person who seems to understand.

Despite their differences, a bond soon forms between them, one none of them can resist, until a conspiracy threatens them both and challenges the care they claim to have for each other.