Double Trouble

Grannie Annie, the famously eccentric science‑fiction writer, has gathered a motley crew to trek across the barren, wind‑blown expanse of the Baldric—Jupiter’s eighth moon’s narrowest pass. The landscape is dominated by towering flagpole trees that look like giant cat‑tails capped with melon‑shaped buds, while strange, cockatoo‑like birds dart through the dust. Their goal is to reach the vein of Acoustix, a rare ore that can restore the fading vocal abilities of Martians and promises untold value for the colonies on Mars.

Alongside Annie are Ezra Karn, a grizzled prospector with a perpetual pipe, the taciturn Martian illustrator Xartal, and Antlers Park, the beleaguered manager of the Interstellar Voice outpost. Two rival companies vie for control of the mineral, and the Baldric itself has a reputation for swallowing the unwary. As the party sets foot on the alien terrain, the promise of discovery clashes with the looming threat of the unknown, setting the stage for a daring adventure.