Time to Orbit: Unknown

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Glossary] .......... Next> “So you’re queen-captain of an alien starship?” Keith asked. “That’s super cool! Derek, we can be astronauts on Mum’s crew!” Derek twitched his shoulders and bobbed his head in an aljik gesture of enthusiastic assent. “What?” I said. “Oh, no. No, no, no. Space is dangerous. … Continue reading 13: Just Desserts

First ---- Previous ---- Glossary ---- Archive ---- Next “Yes! Of course I am scared! The situation is scary! You should be scared of us, Tyk.” “Well, I’m not. I think maybe you should be a little bit less scared of you.” “You’re going to get yourself killed someday.” “Uh-huh. Sure. Out of the two … Continue reading 42: Thin River Thinking

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Glossary] .......... Next> We docked. The shuttle door opened. And there they were. Three humans, wearing space suits that looked rather more like human space suits than the ones the ketestri had made for me. One adult, two children. I drifted out of the pod, and both of my … Continue reading 12: Face to face

First ---- Previous ---- Glossary ---- Archive ---- Next Their conversation for the rest of the trip is fairly light, upbeat, and focused on the task at hand, careful not to mention death or grief or hives or burrows. When their hunger is sated and they turn back toward the burrow, collecting food for later … Continue reading 41: Some Reservations

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Glossary] .......... Next> Behind me, the crew were panicking. They didn’t understand what I was saying or who I was talking to. Glath was talking a lot; probably explaining the situation. I ignored them all. Nobody was pulling me away from the comms, and that was all that mattered. … Continue reading 11: Catching up

First ---- Previous ---- Glossary ---- Archive ---- Next Tyk, Tama, and Sakeya all step forward, but there’s not a lot that they can do without knowing what’s going on. They watch on helplessly as Kana falls to the ground and all the sky people start shouting at once. Dem steps forward as if to … Continue reading 40: Sleepland Scavenging

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Glossary] .......... Next> “In a firefight, which ship is better?” the alien spokesperson asked. Sil had been dreading that question. He didn’t want to kill the crew of the Oval Nine, and he wanted his own crew dead even less. If it came to a choice between them though, … Continue reading 10: Standoff

First ---- Previous ---- Glossary ---- Archive ---- Next The Hiveless think that Tyk is one of them. And for a moment, she considers the option of letting them continue to think that. They certainly seem inclined to help her, and that could change if they find out she has a hive. But no; it’s … Continue reading 39: Rest and Relaxation

<<First .......... <Prev .......... [Archive] .......... [Glossary] .......... Next> “You had those beasts down there hide it in their labyrinth, didn’t you?” Queen Tatik asked. Her sister flicked her arms in a dismissive gesture. “Feel free to ask them. But I’d be careful, if I were you. You wouldn’t want to destroy it accidentally with … Continue reading 9: Encounter

First ---- Previous ---- Glossary ---- Archive ---- Next Before Tyk can respond to the threat, Smon is dashing out of the shelter, magic light pouring from her wrist, killing tool in hand. She raises the tool toward the Hiveless woman, who immediately steps back at the sight of it. “Hey now, you don’t want … Continue reading 38: Surrounded