The Hiccup at the End of the World

By Steffen Larken

In the distant reaches of the cosmos, where the memory of Earth has faded into the stardust of forgotten history, one man carries the flickering flame of a long-lost tradition. Nicholas Renn, a wanderer of the stars, embarks on a heartfelt mission to preserve the spirit of Christmas.

 

Armed with gift-wrapped toys and the echoes of holiday cheer, Renn travels from world to world, rekindling the joy that has long been extinguished in the cold vastness of space. However, his journey takes an unexpected turn when he lands on Adilya.

 

On this forsaken world, a mysterious plague devours every living thing, leaving the colony on the brink of extinction. Trapped and isolated, the inhabitants face an inevitable demise with broken ships that can no longer carry them to safety.

 

Undeterred by the cosmic odds, Renn becomes the beacon of hope for the forgotten souls of Adilya. In a race against time, he weaves the magic of Christmas into a desperate mission to save a world on the edge of oblivion.

 

Will the spirit of Christmas be enough to heal a dying world? In this captivating blend of science fiction and heartwarming holiday magic, join Nicholas Renn on an interstellar odyssey that proves, even in the darkest corners of the cosmos, the light of Christmas can illuminate the path to salvation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: ASG Worlds
• Release date: Dec 12, 2023
• ISBN: 9782493671264

Book preview

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As humanity spread through the stars, its population exploded. Commerce grew exponentially and new businesses appeared.

Toymaking was one of the fields most impacted, as there were so many children born every day, on every planet, in every galaxy.

Santarians are the most skilled toymakers, of course. It is a well-known fact, their reputation reaching throughout the Imperium—and even beyond.

For centuries, various companies would use them, until one day a series of natural disasters hit their homeworld, leaving it devastated and on the brink of ruin.

They only had one option to survive.

The planet, along with all its inhabitants, was put on sale.

When Kringle & Krane purchased Santaria, the whole world was turned into the most gigantic toymaking factory in the universe.

It required a huge investment from the famous toy distribution company to fix and terraform the planet to their needs, but they gambled it would be worth it in the long run.

And it was. They tripled their revenue within two years of opening the new factory. And doubled that number a year later.

By then, Kringle & Krane had bought out all the competition. They were the only game left in town. But they had grown so much they constantly needed to hire new staff.

And so