Against Tetrarch

On the barren world of Tetrarch IV, human captives are forced into endless mining under a ruthless alien regime. The miners, doomed to die shortly after their twenty‑fifth birthday, scrape at the glowing gryxon ore while the ever‑watchful tetrarch guards stalk the tunnels. Into this bleak routine steps Rod Harrow, a scarred Earth veteran haunted by a lost research project and a sudden, chilling death beside him.

His only solace appears in the form of Mona Darlanan, a strikingly beautiful but hardened slave who has survived longer than any of her peers. Together they whisper of secret contacts, of a man named Latham Koler who might hold the key to escape, while the ever‑present threat of the guards forces every conversation into whispers. As the crimson dust of the ore swirls around them, Rod must decide whether to cling to old loyalties or gamble on the fragile hope that Mona’s plan offers.