“We need a plan,” Andi said, drawing everyone’s attention back to the matter at hand. She grabbed the portable holoscreen off the console, which fortunately hadn’t been damaged in the crash. Dex joined Andi as she pulled up a miniature rotating Solera, wrapped by its rings. She zoomed in on a spot in the middle of a jagged ice field. “This is where we landed—the closest city isn’t for a thousand clicks. We’ll need a ship, or a transport of some kind, to make it there alive in this weather.”

Solera was an ice giant in the Tavina System. It was heavily populated, but every resident lived within one of Solera’s seven domed cities, as the elements were too harsh to bear year-round. As a result, most of the planet’s surface was uninhabited and devoid of civilization, which meant they were unlikely to find help all the way out here.

“How long do you think we have before we freeze?” Lon paced the length of the bridge, his breath already rising before him in small clouds.

“Depending on how damaged the hull is... I’d say six hours,” Andi said, handing the holo to Dex and peering out through the window. The sky above them was an icy blue, but beyond, it turned into an angry gray. A storm was rolling in. “I take that back—maybe three, max. The girls and I came here for a job a while back. Solera is merciless.”

She was right. If there was one thing Dex knew about this planet, it was to beware the shifting weather. Solera’s storms were renowned across Mirabel for the lives they’d stolen over the years, the planet’s icy surface like a glittering grave.

“Have you looked for military outposts in the area?” Lon said, coming up beside him. “On Adhira, during the Cataclysm, they had outposts built across the planet for the military to be stationed at. There may be some here, too, and if they’re anything like the ones back home, they should be full of supplies and tech.”

“Worth a shot,” Andi said with a shrug. “Dex, can you do a search?”

“Can’t,” Dex said. “No access to the feeds on this thing.” He looked at the silver band on his wrist, hoping Alfie would have established a connection by now. But alas, the AI was still silent. He was about to set the holo down when Lon cleared his throat.

“We’ve got company.”

Dex turned to look out the window, across the ice field. Beyond the snow whipping in the wind, a triangular shape appeared, moving quickly as it hovered over the landscape.

A transport.

“Who do you think it is?” Lon asked.