The high ones

The crew of the Rurik has spent fifty‑eight years drifting through the dark, bound for a world that might finally be a home. After a mutiny seized control of the starship, nucleonics engineer Eben Holbrook finds himself caught between the ship’s power struggles and a fragile hope that the new planet will be safe for humanity. As the vessel drops into orbit, the exhausted colonists brace for the first steps on a landscape that looks eerily like Earth.

The landing zone is a lush valley of twin‑blade grass, blue‑tinged sky and two bright moons, where makeshift shelters quickly give way to fire‑lit celebrations and the clatter of accordions and banjos. With the Rurik aloft, the survivors spread out in scout aircraft, mapping the terrain while trying to keep old rivalries at bay. During one routine flight, Holbrook, Grushenko and Levine stumble upon a strange pit surrounded by alien machines, a silent proof that they are not the only inhabitants. The discovery forces the weary pioneers to decide whether curiosity or caution will guide their next move.