On a world that suddenly finds itself without water, a visit to the market takes on a fierce urgency.
Description:
Welcome to Hypatia's Gulch, an outer rim world suffering the ravages of an alien fungus that decades ago turned almost all native water supplies into a viscous slime. The planet's only lifeline, untainted water shipments from other worlds, was unceremoniously withdrawn at the whim of a distant interplanetary government. Now, a makeshift marketplace in the decontaminated spaceport of a dusty frontier town called Crystal Clear has become a swarming nest of angry locals, predatory outsiders, false promises, and, just maybe, a chance at survival.