A Planet With No Name

All Veronica Smith and her husband wanted to do was start a new life on a new planet. The Smiths found a compatible group forming on the North American continent and signed a five-year Pioneer Compact short on law and long on freedoms. They planned and fantasized of a paradise while waiting for Earth’s telescopic surveyors to discover a viable planet meeting current Goldilocks zone requirements. Now, Veronica stood in the middle of the muddy street on a planet with no name. The rain washed her tears away while heavy drops plummeted into jumbo-sized puddles splashing murky water onto her ankle length dress. She stared down at Cal, laying dead in the mud. The townspeople of Peaceful Junction ignored her. The Halberds were going to pay. The town was going to pay.