A Coffin for Jacob

Ben Curtis stumbles into the dim, smoke‑filled Blast Inn on Venus, a ramshackle bar where Earthmen, Martians, and Venusians mingle beneath a haze of opium‑like fumes. A dead man follows him in silent insistence, a ghastly companion that seems both nightmare and clue. A ten‑year‑old Martian boy, bright‑eyed and ragged, shepherds Ben through shadowed booths while offering a mysterious bargain for a ‘resurrection’ drug.

The inn’s eerie music, played by delicate, oversized‑headed Martians, underscores Ben’s growing dread as he searches for the red‑bearded man who might hold the key to his escape. Caught between rival alien factions and a relentless security officer, he must decide whether to barter his soul for a miracle or confront the lingering specter of Cobb, the dead rival who haunts his steps. The atmosphere is thick with danger, language mash‑ups, and the strange allure of a frontier where life and death are bartered like cheap whiskey.