Rastignac the Devil

In a bleak, subterranean prison on the alien world of L'Bawpfey, Jean‑Jacques Rastignac endures a monotonous routine of meals lowered on ropes and guarded by a silent sentinel. Yet his mind roams far beyond the cold stone walls, fixated on six bright stars that trace a silent arc across the night sky—remnants of the massive convoy that once carried his ancestors from a ruined Earth to this new frontier. As the Legal Underground's reluctant leader, he balances bitter humor with a fierce yearning for freedom, dreaming of the day he might join the distant ships and escape the tyranny of the triangular despotism that shackles his people.

Centuries ago, a hardy band of Loire Valley refugees built six colossal vessels, froze their passengers, and hurled them toward a planet they named Le Beau Pays, hoping to preserve their language, faith, and culture. The ships have since become ghostly beacons, orbiting the world while their descendants labor under the rule of rival powers from the north and south. Rastignac's small rebellion begins in the shadows, but his quiet promise to the stars hints at a larger quest for a future beyond the crushing weight of oppression.