Little Fuzzy

Jack Holloway spends his days on the rugged cliffs of a distant world, coaxing contragravity rigs to pry open ancient sandstone veins in search of rare sunstones—tiny, glowing gems forged from extinct jelly‑like sea creatures. The work is solitary, punctuated by the hiss of his pipe and the steady thrum of his tools, as he chips away at the rock hoping each fragment might contain the coveted yellow ellipsoid that could fetch a fortune back on the colonies.

When a sudden rustle in the brush reveals a hard‑shelled, twelve‑legged creature, Jack’s routine is shattered. The land‑prawn, a ten‑inch menace that chews through machinery and even his own bedding, darts away with a mock­ing flick of its antennae, forcing him to choose between a quick, costly shot and a more measured approach.

The encounter hints at hidden dangers lurking beneath the planet’s surface, suggesting that Jack’s quest for wealth may soon become a fight for survival as the alien ecosystem reveals itself, one surprise at a time.