When tech scavenger X ch Si is captured and imprisoned by the infamous pirates of the Red Banner, she expects to be tortured or killed. Instead, their leader, Rice Fish, makes X ch Si an utterly incredible proposition: an offer of marriage. Both have their reasons for this arrangement: X ch Si needs protection; Rice Fish, a sentient spaceship, needs a technical expert to investigate the death of her first wife, the Red Scholar. That's all there is...