Asteroid H277—Plus

On the Sun‑Line freighter Cinnabar, petty officer Jon Akars hides in the shadows of the air‑circulator chamber, waiting for his secret weapon—a Venusian drug called kui‑knor—to take effect. As the crew collapses into a strange, hyper‑aware stupor, Akars moves with practiced silence, intent on securing four kilos of the rare metal Urulium that a recent emergency landing uncovered. His gamble hinges on a ruthless betrayal, and every step he takes is measured against the ticking clocks of shipboard systems.

In the dim corridors of the vessel, Akars manipulates the refrigeration controls and checks the tender’s supplies, ensuring nothing can thwart his scheme. He destroys the ship’s log to erase any record of the valuable find, hoping the crew’s incapacitation will mask his theft. With alarms beginning to sound and the ship’s fuel warming dangerously, the audacious plot threatens to turn the Cinnabar into a floating time‑bomb, leaving listeners to wonder whether Akars’ cunning will survive his own sabotage.