Blanchland Blues by Tom Dell’Aringa

Since being dishonorably discharged from the Star Corps, pilot John MacAlister has been struggling to make ends meet with less-than-legal cargo runs across the cosmos. Every time John thinks he’s found that “one last job,” some new disaster lands him back at square one. After he crashes on the Moon, John finds himself in debt to a shady lawyer who makes him an offer he can’t refuse: Locate teenage runaway Meryl Amelson and bring her back or rot in jail.
Deep in the inhospitable Blanchlands of Kaldikar-6, John discovers smart and scrappy Meryl is the only witness to a murder ordered by the same officer who kicked John out of the Star Corps. Once again, John has a purpose. Despite facing impossible odds, he vows to protect Meryl and expose his former commander no matter the cost.
The only challenge? Living long enough to actually do it.

Category: Science Fiction – Classics