Mel wanted to live, and a new start in space was great as long as she could bring her parrot along with her. The avatar said yes, and parrot in space was a go. Mel was dying by inches and wasn't having fun. Her brother was dead, her niece was trying to take care of things, and her brother's parrot was cursing a blue streak. Leaving Earth for a reset sounded simple, but she was too large for the canisters and had to be launched across space in a separate ship, still growing. She goes through three species who want her genetics, but the first two drop out, and finally, she wakes up on a space station with gravity so strong she can barely stand up. Mel meets the station, watches her parrot enjoy the heavy-gravity flight and tries to get a handle on what happens next when no one will tell her what is going on. She takes a new friend home, heads back to her shuttle, and accidentally sparks an incident that puts a price on her head but helps her gain perspective. Mel has a place in the stars, and she is finding it.