Two young orphans, Priloe and his sister, Milenette, managed to escape a lifetime of enslavement with a lot of help from Liam Hoffen, Privateer. As grateful as Priloe might be, he can’t imagine why Hoffen would give up his family to go careening around the stars, when family is all he’s ever wanted.

A chance encounter with Silver, Liam’s mother, offers Priloe a new life on the family’s asteroid mining operation. He seizes the opportunity, not realizing that trouble is just around the corner. Before he has his feet under him, he’s dragged into a mystery at an abandoned mining claim.

Though just a kid, Priloe has a lifetime of difficult decisions behind him, but those he faces now could well separate him from the family he’s desperate to join. When another’s life hangs in the balance, he must make a choice, no matter the consequences.

Life of a Miner is a quick, enjoyable read that was originally conceived, written, and released on Jamie McFarlane’s blog at fickledragon.com.