It's 5997. Jake McGillicuddy, a "space trucker" just looking to make a quick buck, has accidentally awoken a Liberator, a 2000-year-old, sentient ship 30 kilometers long. Bristling with weapons and powered by an AI that holds humanity in contempt, the Liberator would make an unstoppable weapon to any polity which controls it. Meanwhile, Jake's only friend, an ancient Christian warbot named Spank, is dead, having sacrificed himself to save Jake. While Jake deals with his loss, and while the nations of the 60th century vie for control of the Liberator, Jake must face another Getting paid.