On the battlefield no one is quieter and faster with a knife, or more to be trusted to cover your back. Off the battlefield, life is more complicated. Ezbeki has always lived life to the fullest, which seems to include civilian wild sprees of drinking, womanizing, brawling and jail time for petty offenses such as menacing and assault.

After honorable service behind enemy lines during the seige and retreat on Vera Cruz, Ezbeki is discharged from the Imperial Marine Corp on Regina. Within a short period of time, Ezbeki and his friend, Geoff Thompson are incarcerated in the Regina City Jail over a minor misunderstanding.

Ezbeki is released from custody when Geoff agrees to recover an item from Planet X for someone powerful on Regina. Ezbeki follows Geoff onto the scout interdicted Planet X without realizing that there would be no easy way off this planet.

On Planet X, during an attempted assasination attempt on the life of the queen, Ezbeki receives a bullet wound to the spine. He finds himself a paraplegic on a planet where they can't just fix that type of thing. Conifined to his wheelchair, Ezbeki makes Geoff promise that if they can't find a way off this planet for him or a way to regain the use of his several legs, that Geoff will "put him out of his misery". Until then, Ezbeki has the assistance of a male nurse (retired military medic) in navigating through life on this low tech world.