Riv is a man adrift, hoping that running supplies for ReliefCorp will restore his faith in mankindβand in himself. Deep in the war-torn Maltana rainforest, he stumbles upon a local bar that suits his mood: good food, bad attitude. The entertainment, though, is unexpected. A skilled piano player who avoids eye contact, flinches when anyone approachesβ¦and warns Riv of an ambush by tapping out the planetary anthem for Rivβs homeworld of Karibee.
The least Riv can do for the mute piano man, βDucksβ, is take him to the nearest spaceport for help. On their harrowing journey to escape Maltana, Riv makes a horrifying discovery. Ducks endured torture that scarred his mind as well as his body. Still, before he leaves the man safely in a treatment facility, Riv manages to earn what little trust Ducks has to give.
Months later they reconnect, and while itβs clear their instant attraction was no fluke, thereβs still a piece missing. Ducksβ voice. To help him find it again, Riv will have to expose the painful past that tore a hole in his own life. And hope that together, their ragged edges will fit together to form a whole.
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