Eryx is part of a team of scientists charged with monitoring and protecting relocated animals on a privately owned planet. When sensors indicate poachers, Eryx leaves base to confront them, only to lose his way in a sudden snow. After trudging to a nearby observation station for shelter, he comes across an unexpected intruder.<br><br>Smuggler Leander flies an old, sometimes unreliable ship. When the engine starts to fail, he attempts to set down on the nearest planet where he’s stashed supplies, but his descent turns into a crash, and he’s forced to take shelter wherever he can.<br><br>The two can’t possibly trust each other, but storm projections show they’ll be stuck together for days. Worse, the poachers aren’t letting a little inclement weather stop them, and they’re armed and ready to kill. Can Leander and Eryx put aside their differences and save the animals -- and themselves -- before something disastrous happens?

Under Snow and Stars

“I’m not here for leopards,” he said to the counterspace and cupboards. “I made a stop, that’s all. I thought leopards didn’t like the cold.”


“Snow leopards, asshole. You know that,” said the man, then paused. The wall pad was giving him information from Leander’s transceiver now, and his eyebrows pulled down as he read it.


Leander was glad he didn’t have his full manifesto on there, just destinations and coordinates, security and safe schematics, personal codes for hideaways. Too much information for anyone to have anyway, but not customers or cargo.


“I’m just a smuggler,” he said again.


Chapter 9