During a routine shipment, the Pony Express freighter spaceship Tulpar is sabotaged and crashes into an asteroid. Though the crew—captain Curly, co-pilot Jimmy, medic Anya, mechanic Swansea, and last-minute intern Daisuke—survive, most of the ship's resources are blocked off by airbag-like foam, damage to which could potentially breach the ship's hull and trigger lethal decompression. Curly, unable to speak or move after being severely mutilated by the crash, is kept sedated via a dwindling supply of painkillers. Jimmy declares himself acting captain as a result, and accuses Curly of going postal and causing the crash.