Fuzzy Nation

Jack Holloway prospects alone on Zarathustra, an Earth-like planet 178 light-years from Earth. He works as an independent contractor for ZaraCorp, surveying at his own pace, far from the company's local headquarters. He keeps his past to himself and does not welcome questions about it.

After a cliff collapses, Jack finds a seam of extremely valuable jewels and files a legal claim to it. ZaraCorp is in the middle of cancelling his contract over his part in the collapse, so for a short time the law favors him. He uses that position to force the company to honor his claim and to take it on as a partner in extracting the jewels.

ZaraCorp's hold on the planet rests on a single legal certification given to the authorities on Earth: that Zarathustra has no sentient species. Then a small, furry, two-legged creature walks up to Jack's remote home, trusting and very cute. Its family follows.

Jack comes to see that these creatures, the fuzzys, are people despite their size. If so, ZaraCorp's right to the planet's wealth is shaky at best, and the company has every reason to get rid of the fuzzys before word spreads.

This is science fiction with a corporate-conflict plot and a legal edge. The tone leans light, centered on a loner with a hidden past, and the stakes rise as Jack's discovery puts both him and the fuzzys in danger.