Graveyard of Dreams

Conn Maxwell finds himself alone in first‑class aboard a massive Federation air‑ship, the hull humming as it glides toward the familiar mountains of his home world, Poictesme. The cramped cargo list—two heavy trunks, a microbook case, and a handful of personal effects—reminds him how little he carries back after five years of study on Terra. As the planet’s autumn‑tinted forests shrink beneath the viewport, he feels the weight of expectations and an uneasy sense that something vital has been taken from the world.

The journey forces him to confront the changes that have reshaped the once‑green valleys into harvested fields and new growth, while memories of his father’s freight business and old university lectures surface in fragmented flashes. A terse exchange with the first officer hints at hidden tensions within the Federation, and a cryptic remark about “theft of hope” suggests a larger crisis awaiting him on the ground. With only his training and the contents of the mysterious microbook case to guide him, Conn prepares to step off the ship and face whatever his planet has become.