The planet is about to be destroyed, and only so many people can be evacuated. Elton Murphy is one of the lucky few to be given a ticket off world just as a killer asteroid is about to make impact. In the rush to evacuate as many as they can at the last minute, there are mix-ups. Elton has to be transferred to a different ship that has been reserved for a rich family that hasn’t arrived yet. As he waits, someone comes in, lays a baby down, and asks Elton to mind it for a few minutes, and goes out again. There’s a commotion outside. Suddenly the hatch closes, and the ship begins to take off, with only Elton and the baby on board. The ship, on auto, simply travels endlessly at just under light speed, to nowhere. Elton is bereaved not only of his family, but his home planet. Now, by default, he’s the adoptive parent of a small child. He names her Becky. A year or so into the journey (but distorted by time dilation) they are captured/rescued by galactic beings hostile towards humanity. Elton is imprisoned in a rat infested space station along with other humans they had captured. They don’t like humans, because of the way humans made their entry into space, colonising planets that weren’t theirs, acting the same way humans have acted throughout their history. Meanwhile, Becky is lost in the ventilation shafts of the space station, living with the rats. She thinks she’s a rat, she squeaks like a rat, and the other rats think she’s just an extra large rat. The aliens say, “Everywhere humans have gone, rats and cockroaches have followed - vermin, all the same.” Some wish to rid the galaxy of humans. But Becky, the Rat Queen, becomes the key to humanity’s future. If you like stories of survival in the harshest of environments, plus a bit of speculative evolution, this is for you. Begin your journey by downloading the first installment of this Space Opera trilogy.