Plot
In an unnamed galaxy, the imperialistic Motherworld sees its royal family, including Issa, a princess who was expected to end its militaristic Imperium's planetary conquests, assassinated. Balisarius, a senator and former general, subsequently declares himself regent and continues the Imperium's conquests.
Four years later, Atticus Noble, a sadistic Imperium admiral, arrives at a village on the moon Veldt on behalf of the Motherworld. He explains that his troops are hunting for a band of rebels led by siblings Devra and Darrian Bloodaxe, and offers to buy the village's surplus grain. The village's leader, Sindri, declines, claiming that the villagers barely have enough to survive. A farmer, Gunnar, ignoring earlier warnings from Sindri and Kora, another farmer, indicates that the villagers might have a higher amount. Noble kills Sindri and orders Gunnar to prepare grain for them in ten weeks, which would not leave the villagers with enough to survive. Noble departs, leaving several soldiers and a "Jimmy" robot to oversee the harvest. After facing harassment from a soldier, Jimmy befriends Sam, a villager. Kora prepares to leave, but finds most of the soldiers preparing to rape Sam and kills the soldiers with help from Aris, a soldier disgusted by his own comrades' actions; Jimmy intervenes and defects, saving Sam. Kora warns the villagers to mount a defense, knowing that Noble will kill them once he returns.
Kora and Gunnar depart for the port town of Providence, intending to recruit warriors for the village's defense, including Titus, a disgraced Imperium general. During their journey, she reveals to Gunnar that she once served the Imperium as a soldier, having been adopted and named Arthelais by Balisarius, an Imperium commander, after he eradicated her home planet's population, including her family. She was assigned as the bodyguard to Issa before her assassination.
Arriving at Providence, the pair meets smuggler and criminal Kai, who agrees to take them to Titus. He takes them to recruit Tarak, an ex-criminal who frees himself from slavery by taming a griffin-like bennu, and Nemesis, a partially-cybernetic swordswoman. The group arrives at a gladiator arena on a moon, finding Titus in a drunken stupor. Titus initially refuses to join, but agrees to do so after Kora suggests that he avenge his deceased soldiers. Using Gunnar's previous dealing with the Bloodaxes, the group then arrives at the planet Sharaan to meet them. Darrian agrees to defend the village and brings several rebels, including his lieutenant Milius, while Devra, unconvinced that a victory against Noble's dreadnought is possible, declines. After they depart, Noble arrives on Sharaan and eradicates its population as punishment for assisting the rebels.
Kai tells Kora that he has been moved by her quest to abandon his life as a smuggler and that he has one last shipment to drop off. He takes the group to an unregistered trade depot, at which Noble's personal craft has arrived, and restrains and betrays them to Noble, revealing he had always intended to do so for the bounties on their heads. Noble identifies Kora and Titus as deserters, Tarak as a former prince, and Nemesis as the assassin of sixteen Imperial officers and their security detail in revenge for her murdered children. Kai demands that Gunnar paralyze Kora; Gunnar instead frees her and kills Kai. In the ensuing battle, the other warriors are freed, and casualties include Darrian; Noble is apparently killed by Kora. Afterwards, Kora and Gunnar return with the surviving warriors to Veldt, with Jimmy watching them on their way to the village.
Noble is recovered by the Imperium, and he is revived after speaking on an astral plane with Balisarius, who demands that Noble end the insurgency and bring Kora to him alive so he can execute her himself.
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