A young man is in search of his destiny, told to bring the Blue Flower to the planet of his birth. But will the faceless Company that controls the entire sector prevent him from completing his mission?
 

    Dav Benari clung by his fingertips to the edge of the ledge. He hadn't expected the Guard to find him so easily. But that was the third scout ship to fly by, and Pyrrha IV was supposed to be a quarantined planet. He trusted his cloak to blend in with the brown of the rock and hoped that the ship didn't have infrared sensors. When it flew past, he continued to climb.

    He was panting by the time he reached the top of the mountain, his breath whistling through the breather he wore, just in case. Pyrrha IV was close to terranorm -- strikingly close, in fact -- but it was best to take precautions against pathogens.

    The vegetation on top of the peak was more sparse than the lush jungle in the foothills below, but there still was a surprising variety of plants and mosses. Benari felt his booted feet sink slightly into the springy undergrowth. Like cushions under his feet. But he wasn't here for his health. He needed to find what he was looking for before one of the scout ships came back.

    There. He held his breath for a moment, just staring. A blue flower, so striking amid the brown and green. The thin petals with their lighter blue tips burst out from the darker blue center. Like the birth of a star had been captured and shrunk down to comprehendible size. But no less beautiful. And the aroma, like violets and lavender, and something Benari couldn't name.