After alien ships have invaded the human territories, destroying planets and sending the survivors fleeing to Earth, the Terran government orders the refugees to settle a new planet. One that has just been terraformed.

Jeff Koenig, one of the few survivors from the Delious system, leads a team of scientists to the planet Dauphin to rebuild his life. They have 70 days until the ship returns with the first wave of colonists, but from Day 1 everything goes wrong.

As the days count down, the colonists watch the skies and pray that the Hurluk won't find them, or Earth, before they are rescued.

Originally published in M-BRANE #5 summer of 2009