An American trading ship embarks upon a daunting mission: to infiltrate the Hermit Kingdom of Corea, the last of the great Asian empires to open to the west, and set up trade relations with the Choson Dynasty. Corea's Grand Archduke, Prince Gung, has set his face against foreign intrusion and declared that any invading foreigners shall be put to death. What will Reverend Jabez Fuller, his friends O'Reilly and Fields, the brave Captain Pierce, and the eager merchant Morton find as they stea...

An action-packed science fiction novella full of surprises and poignant charm. Readers will follow the adventures of the sole crewmember of an interplanetary freighter left awake and on watch (the "jump watch") as the ship traverses the void between worlds. Our hero manages the ship's systems, repairs damage, recaptures escaped cargo, and pines for one of his cryogenically frozen crewmates. Will he be able to avoid breaking the interstellar freight regulations in the name of love, or will ...