I’d already decided to keep Rufus’ information to myself -- at least for the time being.
There was no point in causing a controversy over something I could still manage to not believe.

On the planet Zhor, as in most pre-modern societies, careers appealing to women can at first seem rather restricted. But in so complex a civilization as Zhor's, a capable woman -- if determined enough --may discover that some rather unique fields of endeavor lay open to her. Lady Caron thinks that she has found one that will suit her nicely.

This story is inspired by Ranbarth's novelette "The Lancer's Tale," available at Fictionmania.

"The Afterlife"

Chapter 3.8

John and I had a fantastic night. I got up in the morning and sat down at my piano. I hadn’t played in some time, and just let my fingers go, regarding all the feelings I had been experiencing with this crazy situation we found ourselves in.

I felt terrified for my husband. Amos had already killed one half brother. What was to stop him from destroying the other?

I sat there, stunned. This was bad, very, very bad. I was scared,
and for once I was scared for someone other than myself.

If Meredith stole that money -- if Meredith tried to steal that money,
it was bound to end badly for her.

The Letters - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It had been a long time since Gregory had been to the home of his grandfather.

I know. Lots of stories start this way, but this is somewhat different.

Let’s resume.

Greg took the key out of his pocket and looked around. He turned a complete circle as he surveyed the property. There was nothing there except weeds. The mailbox was destroyed entirely. It appeared as though someone had driven by with a baseball bat and smashed it at high speed. The post still stood, although the top was jagged, but the mailbox was nowhere to be seen. He unlocked the door and entered the house.

On his twenty-first birthday, he had gained ownership, which was strange. He hardly knew his grandfather. He would have thought that someone else might have been willed the home, or the old man could have sold it. It should have paid off all debts, but strangely, he was the only beneficiary. There didn't seem to be any bank holding a mortgage, or unpaid taxes. He wasn’t going to argue.

“We have to get you a phone, and I guess we should talk about allowance.”

“What did you give Celine?” I asked.

He laughed. “Celine was a thief,” he replied. “You don’t need to give money to a thief.”

Chapter 3.6

I rejoined John in observing Sylvia. Our people were being forced downstairs, and we were helpless to stop it. We watched as they came were herded to the palace, and then the throne room. I gasped as the shimmering air coalesced into a man.

"Here they are, my Lord, " he told Amos, who was sitting, once again on his throne.

“Are you kidding me?” she asked, incredulous. “You’re 42 years old!
You don’t need to ask your so-called parents. Seriously!”

“I’m thirteen,” I retorted, “in case you hadn’t noticed. By the way,
have YOU looked in the mirror lately, Mrs. Shearpen?
You’re not a forty-year-old man any more either!”

“If you walk out of this room, if we never see you again,
I will think about you every day.
I won’t want to, but that’s what will happen.”

Chapter 3.5

It had been three weeks since Rashda had gone downstairs to see what happened to Belinda. He had never confirmed what I thought occurred to her, but his statement referencing The Godfather made it seem likely.

I had spoken to John about it, and he agreed with me. We had watched the movie a few times, but now I felt like removing it from the ship’s archives. I didn’t think I could ever watch it again.

“Huh,” I said, taking it in. “So how do they switch back? The people who got switched?
Do you bring them together and poof! they’re back to who they were?
Or does the switch wear off after an hour or a day or something?”

To Not Let Go

Chapter 3.4

I looked at my arms and legs. “Did Amos put something in me that stops the bots from continuing?”

“Your parents are on the way. They know more about bots than anyone,” Jack told me.

The U.S.S. ACCELERATOR has been accelerating at one gee for 45 days 7 hours, and 13 minutes -- 3.914 * 10⁶ seconds -- since its departure from the Inner Solar System.

CAPTAIN: Lefty! Do we have the latest measurements? How close are we now to the speed of light?

“And now, breaking news. Police in Anchorage, Alaska are searching for a girl who escaped from the hospital last night. Police have set up a hotline for anybody who has…”

Charles and Eugene frowned at the news report. “It’s been three days and nothing. The whole city losing gravity for a brief moment should have been front page news all over the world, but it’s been barely mentioned. How the hell is that possible?” Charles muttered to himself, sitting in the hospital’s waiting room with his and Eugene’s families.

To Not Let Go

Chapter 3.2

As we approached the door to the downstairs, we began to hear what sounded like excited shouting. It was like people were watching a sport of some kind. We arrived behind a line of men cheering and stomping their feet. They were dressed in what looked like simple white togas like I had seen in pictures of Ancient Rome.

We stood there for a moment, then one of the men turned a bit and caught sight of us. “My friends!” he exclaimed, almost musically. “You appear to be new here!” He spoke animatedly until he caught sight of me. "Child! What are you doing dressed so shamefully?"