When a thoughtship and its pilot finally reach Avani, the shimmering gem of the western spiral arm, they barely have a chance to marvel at its sapphire forests before they are ambushed by a mysterious enemy far beyond their understanding. In the midst of the attack, a fragment is sliced off of the ship causing them to tumble out of control, down to the planet's surface. An ice-covered continent to the south is the only viable landing site, and what hides beneath may give them the chance to escape before isolation drives them mad. This short story is a prequel to the THE TRUTH BEYOND THE...