The Snowbank Orbit

A desperate fleet hurtles through the outer reaches of the Solar System, chased by an alien menace that cannot be stopped from either side of the void. Young Grunfeld, a freshly drafted spaceman, watches the behemoth of Uranus loom like a ghostly tennis ball, its green‑tinged atmosphere a terrifying barrier between the crew and their dwindling fuel reserves. The cramped bridge of the cruiser Prospero buzzes with uneasy calculations as the captain, a gaunt figure haunted by the First Interstellar War, clings to the slightest hint of a hidden star that might offer a way out.

Against the backdrop of icy hydrogen seas and flickering moons, the crew must navigate a near‑miss with the planet while their instruments struggle to catch any signal from a long‑lost expedition. Tension builds as temperature drops, supplies run thin, and the ever‑looming enemy draws nearer, leaving the young pilot to wonder whether a single observation could turn the tide—or seal their fate.