Free novelette!
Title: Steel Trap
When exobiologist Alix Daring and her robot sidekick, Figaro, are sent on a mission to capture an alien rat in exchange for a hefty reward, neither expect much trouble. After all, the adorable critters are barely knee-high and have brains the size of walnuts. All that’s needed is a steel trap and a little patience, right?
But the wild, red planet Alix and Figaro find themselves on is full of hidden dangers and secrets. The alien rats, thought to be mindless beasts, are much more than they seem. And they have been hard at work setting their own traps. Soon Alix and Figaro are themselves the prey, lost in the underground labyrinth of caverns that the aliens call home. The two must use all their strength and wits to best their rodent adversaries, or risk never seeing sunlight again . . .