Planet Scout

'Gray' Mannor, 20 years old, wanted to take advantage of House Blackmon's offer of a full scholarship at University of Mars in Planetary Sciences. He expected to go out to some Earth-like exoplanet to prospect for valuable ores and observe exotic megafauna, as Dr. Panter's other graduates had. He worried that his few classmates lacked much experience in Earth's backwoods skills. He enjoyed teaching Rally Thompson some shooting basics up on the South Rim above Candor Cliffs; she was the smartest young woman he'd ever met His life took a sudden turn on their second day down on Polychrome: she was pursued by a pair of Raptors He told her how to 'tell' humans were not prey That began their personal adventure