Ricardo's Virus

On the sweltering, fungus‑laden world of Venus, a simple cut can turn fatal in six hours. Graff Dingle, a hardened tracker for the fledgling settlement of New Kalamazoo, feels the first faint jasmine scent of the dreaded Ricardo’s Virus seeping from a knife wound. The disease has already claimed generations of colonists, and the clock is ticking as Graff searches the fallen thug’s gear for clues about the vanished doctor Greta and the precious lobodin cargo they were ferrying from Earth.

While nursing his wound, Graff’s keen instincts draw him into the shade of a massive rosebush, where a curious, intelligent pterodactyl perches nearby. The creature, named Fuvina, speaks in broken human tongues and seems eager to trade knowledge for information about the city’s underworld. With the virus threatening to claim him soon, Graff must decide whether to trust this unlikely ally while racing against time to uncover the mystery that could save his community.