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

“Let me see if I can pop it,” said Leander, pulling out his transceiver. He had an assload of illegal programs designed specifically to override locking systems, and he ran through them until one of them worked. He stepped back as the seal released and the door eased open. “They must’ve blown their budget on that interference generator. This locking system’s almost as old as mine.”


“I’ll deal with the poachers,” said Eryx as they entered and shut the door. “You do what you need to do.”


Leander got to it, leaving Eryx to locate the subdued poachers and drag them to their own brig. Luckily they were an overconfident bunch, having few security systems in place within their ship. Leander figured it was because they doubted anyone would get this far. He had the interference generator disconnected from the onboard system and a copy of the running program loaded into his transceiver in under twenty minutes. Then he made his way down to the engines.


Chapter 25