The Pluto Lamp

In the early days of interstellar commerce, the outer reaches of the solar system remained a treacherous frontier. Pluto, a dark, frozen world that circled the Sun on the edge of the known, earned a reputation for swallowing wayward ships that miscalculated its magnetic field. To prevent further losses, the Galactic Astrography Commission commissioned a massive, unmanned beacon—a sleek, white structure the size of a lighthouse—to stand forever on the icy surface and warn future travelers.

Enter Knucklebone Smith, a lanky, perpetually grim misfit who has spent his life chasing a destiny that always seemed just out of reach. Though he despises the cold and the very idea of Pluto, a desperate need for money and a promise of fame coax him into the perilous job of igniting the beacon. As the enormous craft hurtles toward the distant world, he must confront the harsh reality of a one‑way mission that will turn a spaceship into an eternal signal for the galaxy.