The Folk and The Shellmen

In 2230AD, EarthGov launches the SS Kristos on a mission to explore the ancient Arcturus system on a 167-year round trip. The launch is a proof-of-concept of Humanities technologies, steered by GovSec stalwart Captain Damien Justin. For The Senate celebrity-couple Haroun and Jenny, First Contact with an ancient, technologically sophisticated alien society was unexpected. This is that story. Caught between their Resistance ideals and the implications of their decades-long exile from The Senate, Haroun and Jenny face further complications from The Folk, a dying race orbiting a dying star. What value does human Mercy have in the Twenty-Third Century?