This One Problem

In a gritty asteroid colony where the glint of distant stars masks a barely‑civilized settlement, the story follows Marc Polder, a weary comptroller trying to keep a semblance of order amid rampant crime. He shares a cramped, smoke‑filled restaurant with Lee Treynor, a fresh‑out personnel manager whose idealism collides with the harsh reality of piracy, arson and corrupt power brokers that dominate the rim.

When a shrill siren cuts through the chatter and a frantic guard bursts in announcing a pirate signal, the fragile calm shatters. Marc and Lee must decide whether to remain passive spectators or to take a stand, even as the Federation’s fleet dwindles and the colony’s vital ore and secret caches hang in the balance. Their uneasy partnership hints at a larger conflict that could reshape life on the Belt, forcing both to weigh personal honor against survival.