Spaceship Mechanic

Rix Banner thought his fighting days ended with World War II. Back home in Cranberry Cove, he just wants to fix cars, drink coffee, and put the past behind him. But when a broken-down starship crash-lands in a Wisconsin cornfield, Rix discovers the universe isn’t done with him yet. The Galactic Empire doesn’t care about Earth’s isolation. They want their ship back—and the fugitive who stole it. Rix isn’t a soldier anymore, but he’s the only one standing between his town and an alien war.

Rix Banner just wants three things out of life: a working coffeemaker, a ship that doesn’t try to kill him, and maybe—just maybe—a full night of sleep without someone pounding on his hatch asking for “one tiny repair.” Naturally, he gets none of them. Between duct-taping patched coolant lines, arguing with an ancient navigation computer, and wrangling Patience Station’s maintenance headaches, Rix can barely keep ahead of the chaos. His shop is overflowing with broken photonic barrier generators, impounded cruisers, and a growing list of “favors” he apparently owes half the station.