Pushing Ice

In a future where humanity extensively exploits the Solar System, Bella Lind captains the *Rockhopper IV*, a massive commercial vessel tasked with maneuvering ice-rich comets for inner-world resources. Her tough, blue-collar crew are experts in demolition and engineering. Their routine is shattered when one of Saturn's moons inexplicably breaks orbit, shedding its icy mantle to reveal an ancient, colossal spacecraft that then accelerates out of the Solar System. Caught in its wake, the *Rockhopper IV* and its crew are flung across unimaginable distances and into the deep, distant future, arriving within a vast, alien-constructed chamber. Here, they discover they are not alone; each chamber houses a distinct alien civilization, all part of a cosmic menagerie assembled at the end of time itself. Ill-equipped for diplomacy with ultra-advanced species, the *Rockhopper IV* crew must navigate precarious first contacts and assimilate an overwhelming avalanche of knowledge—including potentially dangerous technologies—all while striving for survival and preventing their own destruction.