The Ascension Machine

A grifter's greatest con is becoming a hero. At the Justice Academy, a college for superheroes from across the galaxy, identity is everything. For Grey, a teenage grifter impersonating Mirabor Gravane, it's a dangerous game.

Drifting aimlessly through space stations, Grey finds unexpected friendship and a place to belong at the Academy—if his lie doesn't shatter it all. When Gravane's mother sends her "son" on a mission to a crime-ridden world, Grey must embrace his role. Can he convince the local crime families he's their equal and set a trap, or will his past catch up to him? With the real Gravane kidnapped, Grey faces a choice: confess and risk everything, or become the hero the galaxy needs.