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

Eryx located the camera buttons in the dark and poked at them; part of the emergency backup allowed for connections with remote cameras as well as the ability to open the main door, and after a few seconds, the image from one of the cameras projected on the wall several feet from the bed.


Even this low amount of light was sharp on Eryx’s eyes. He wondered why he hadn’t thought of using this as a way to navigate in the dark before. Once his eyes adjusted, he got up and tried to make his way to the bathroom, where he left the door open so he could still see at least a little. When he returned to bed, Leander took a turn, leaving on the image from a camera completely buried by snow. The light through it was greyish, indicating it was day outside, even if it was still storming.


Chapter 19