Egara-2, shattered pearl of the Core Systems, lay in dormant silence. Bitter cold frosted the surface into a snow-filled tundra. Out here, in the vastness of the Tachun Collective, the throttling cries of war vanished into a pale white glimmer seen on distant stars. Craig Blaine was no soldier. He'd come for living, not dying. Pilot of Glang, a mechanized scavenger built to withstand the harsh climates of Egara-2, Craig fastened his seat belt, banged on his mic for good form and sped out to the white wastes.