Watch the Sky

On the remote world of Roye, a handful of Earth‑born settlers have carved out a fragile existence among alien plains and stubborn tupa roots. Phil Boles, the colony’s reluctant president of the fledgling Colonial Labor Union, spends his days balancing the needs of his aging great‑aunt Beulah, the demands of Earth’s bureaucracy, and the restless ambitions of a community teetering on the brink of unemployment.

When Phil’s gaze falls on an ancient, scarred alien weapon hanging above the fireplace—a relic of a forgotten war—it suddenly seems more than a curiosity. The gun’s mysterious origins and dormant power hint at a solution to the colony’s pressing crises, but also draw the attention of a territorial office eager to justify a future military foothold.

Caught between family loyalty, the promise of Earth’s aid, and the shadow of a looming base, Phil must decide whether to wield the past’s dangerous technology for the sake of his home—or let the sky remain uncharted.