The Ice Run

Sometimes the most important cargo is the warmth you carry with you. When the aging cargo ship Mentusa is sent on what should be a routine supply run to the frozen world of Hawking, Captain Kesla and his crew expect little more than bad weather, difficult communications, and five days of cold-weather hauling. They couldn't be more wrong. Hawking's nearly five hundred residents have survived years of brutal winters by learning to share what little warmth they have. Their aging geothermal system is failing, buildings have been closed, crops reduced, and everyone has quietly sacrificed their own comfort so the most vulnerable can stay warm. Then Mentusa arrives carrying the replacement heat exchanger they've been waiting almost a year to receive. But replacing a machine that has kept an entire colony alive for thirty-eight winters is no simple cargo job. With a worsening storm closing in, the crew must work alongside Hawking's engineers to shut down the old system, install the new one, and keep the settlement warm through the changeover. As the temperature falls, Mentusa's crew discover that Hawking's greatest achievement isn't its technology. It's the people. A heartfelt science-fiction adventure about ordinary cargo, extraordinary engineering, quiet courage, and a community that refuses to leave anyone behind. The Ice Run is the fourth Mentusa Chronicles adventure — a warm-hearted tale of friendship, frontier life, and the remarkable things people can accomplish when they choose to look after one another.