On the lawless planet Loren Two, one man and a handful of giant trained bears hold a secret colony together against a jungle that kills first and explains never. Huyghens lives by improvisation and nerve, guarding an illegal station hidden from the authorities while the deadly sphexes, swarms of bizarre flying creatures, and other night horrors press in from every side. When Colonial Survey officer Roane arrives expecting a routine robot-built outpost, he finds instead a forbidden settlement, no robots, and an ecosystem of uneasy human-animal partnership, including the eagle scout Semper Tyrannis. Huyghens admits the colony is illegal, debates whether to shoot his unwelcome visitor, and then confronts a shocking possibility: a distress signal from the wrecked robot colony may mean survivors are still alive. As the two men circle each other over drinks and duty, the novel pits bureaucratic order against frontier courage, asking what humanity is worth when survival depends on loyalty, instinct, and defiance. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.
