“Don’t be ridiculous!” I pointed a shaky finger at the degausing coil. “And put that thing down, will you? I kind of prefer my brain unscrambled.” She continued to point it straight at my forehead. “Who are you, really?” “I’m … Continue reading
I don’t mind telling you that the trip north was my dark night of the soul. Firth had been an echo, as convincing an imitation of a human being as I’d ever seen, and now my only companion—if you could … Continue reading
I’d never used a signal gun, never thought about them, though there’s a whole paragraph about alternate uses for one in the pilot’s handbook. Now that Firth was pointing one at me, suddenly it was the most fascinating thing on … Continue reading
“Only two? obstacles,” I said. “I hope a meteor shower counts as one of them.” Firth was more intense than ever. “She’s more than a hundred kilometers beyond our authorized distance.” I laughed. “Are you kidding? That’s not an obstacle, … Continue reading
A scream and a thundering thud had me counting my teeth, but I put on a cheerful face. “See? Our luck’s starting to turn already. And only another 45 kilometers–” Serena broke in, suddenly much clearer. “…down their spears and watered … Continue reading
“Only Fifty More Kilometers” It was as if I had awakened from a dream. Suddenly we were deep in the quadrant with rocks coming down all around us and we were still alive. I couldn’t tell how my cohort was … Continue reading
The Appeal The message was pretty scratchy, but out of the scramble came a woman’s voice saying, “When the stars threw down their spears.” “That’s pretty weird,” I told Firth. “And not much to go on.” He was unmoved. “It’s … Continue reading
“Enter Commander Abel Firth” Enter Commander Abel Firth. I’d never met the guy, never heard of him. But he had security badges like you wouldn’t believe. He had an Omega Orange. And he was all business. He said: “You’ve heard … Continue reading
“The First Thing You Need to Know” Report filed by Zak Bowman, Grade 740, earth intel, to whom it may concern, position somewhere in sector Kappa Bravo 2799: The first thing you need to know about the Daulians is that … Continue reading
Episode 1 “Stone Walls Do Not a Prison Make” The galaxy of lights would dazzle the man on the bed if he woke up. Each had its purpose, of course, an urgent purpose, some monitoring his vital signs, others reassuring all … Continue reading