Scarlett's Fire

Corley, a gigantic black octopus-squid-like sea monster from the planet Corydon is angry that his 1000-year hibernation has been interrupted. He is furious that aliens have invaded his home and that they are melting the ice that covers his world. When he realizes that he is the last of his species, it's too much for him. He propels himself through the frigid water towards the surface looking for revenge. He goes too fast and accidentally breaks through the surface ice of his ocean world. As he floats weightless in the vacuum of space, and contemplates his death and the end of Corydon, he suddenly hears a high-pitched voice. It's Scarlett, a three-inch red and white banded shrimp, sent by the Intergalactic Zoological Preservation Society to save him. She explains that she is a curator for the IZPS and that the Corydonian Giant has been selected by the Great Creator to be preserved because he is the last of his species. Corley's initial reaction is that he would rather die than go with Scarlett to some planetary zoo, but she is convincing, and he understands almost immediately that there is something special and intriguing about the tiny creature. When Corley agrees to travel through space with Scarlett, he has no idea that the adventure has just begun.