FICSIT INC. targets a newly discovered star system. From the Coffee Stain Starship, Captain Jace sends fresh Pioneers to what should be an uncharted world. But danger lurks before they even launch—and on the surface, ancient horrors lie in wait. The mission was exploration and exploitation. What they found, changed everything.

When a clerical error leads to Thomas Patel being labeled as a Pioneer, he'll be forced to survive on a frontier planet with a team of less than Satisfactory outcasts. What are the secrets? What is Project: Assembly? And can they survive?