The Dragon Slayers

In a gleaming, chrome‑clad federal hub on Venus, Division Chief Carl Wattles awakens from a too‑short nap to a troubling report: the ever‑troublesome Kentons are demanding a break from the strict production manual. His weary assistant, John Claxson, listens as the chief laments the endless paperwork and the mounting pressure to keep the colony’s output on track. Their banter hints at a larger bureaucracy that struggles to stay ahead of the exotic threats lurking beyond the city’s glass walls.

Out in the Venusian jungle, settlers like Bliss and her husband Pole face a far more immediate danger. After a vicious vacuum‑snake bite leaves Bliss weakened, a massive dragon swoops over their modest cabin, scorching it to ash in a single, fiery pass. As they scramble to salvage what they can, the couple realizes that surviving the jungle’s wild creatures is only the first step toward confronting the ever‑present dragon menace.