Itropa Preview

 

Here is a short preview of my upcoming "Itropa" novel, which is set in the same universe as Bloodhunters. I think of it as a "fantasy world in a sci-fi universe." The following is excerpt is still from an early draft, so it may change a lot before release.

The Silkleaf Woods were alive with a cacophony of birdcalls and insect chirps. Thin rays of sunshine gleamed down from the canopy above, spattering the forest floor with intermittent droplets of light. The occasional fairy flitted by, carrying pollen from one feyflower to another. A gentle breeze passed through the wooded paths, rustling the fallen leaves.

An elflike young woman skipped between the trees, taking in the sweet smell of ciniblossoms that wafted through the air. Stopping to rest in a clearing, the moonfolk removed her backpack and rummaged through it for a woodapple she’d picked earlier. She was about to take a bite when her pointed ears perked up.

Something had changed. The chitterbugs had stopped keening, and Brynwyn felt like she was being watched. On the far side of the clearing, a mound of grass continued to sway in the breeze, even though the air had become still. Cautiously, Brynwyn dropped the fruit and reached for her bow. Birds continued to chirp in the distance, but Brynwyn could only hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears. Nocking an arrow, she carefully backed out of the clearing.

With a roar, the mound of grass came alive. The massive turfbear sprang from its hiding pit and bounded toward the young woman, its mouth open wide. Brynwyn fired an arrow, tumbled backward, and fired another. While both arrows hit true, the creature barely seemed to notice. Brynwyn turned and ran.

She could hear it behind her, mere meters away. The crunching of its footfalls against the crisp leaves, the rhythmic huffing of its breath. A million questions raced through her mind. Could turfbears climb trees? Could she make it up a tree before it got her? Wasn’t there a lake around here somewhere? Could turfbears swim? Would her parents find out how she died? Would they care?

Brynwyn attempted to veer left, but she saw one of the monster’s viny appendages out of the corner of her eye. She swerved right instead, then ran straight until she saw another leafy tentacle in her peripheral vision. Veering back to the left, she leaped over a dense patch of foliage between two trees, hoping they were too close together for the creature to follow. Too late, she realized she’d been herded.

She landed on her hands and knees in the turfbear’s pit, having run in a complete circle. She rolled over onto her back, and saw the monster towering over her. Standing on its hind legs, it was more than twice her height. The six-legged bear had grass-like fur over a brown undercoat. Two vinelike tentacles, protruding from the monster’s shoulders, reached toward the young woman. It glared at her with four yellow eyes, and opened its mouth wide, revealing teeth that looked like thick thorns.

Brynwyn fumbled through her side pouch, pulled out her energy pistol, and fired several shots. The monster recoiled as the blue bolts of light hit it in the chest. The weapon had been designed to stun, not kill, and the beast was so large that it took more than ten shots to bring it down. Brynwyn had to roll out of the way as the turfbear fell, to avoid getting trapped under its huge form.

The monstrous bear now lay unconscious, and Brynwyn climbed out of the pit. She retrieved her backpack from the clearing, pocketed her pistol, and skipped away, whistling a happy tune.

Excerpts: Editorial

The following is an excerpt from Bloodhunters v3: New Blood, Chapter 02.08. Some details might make more sense in context, and a couple of sentences have been altered to avoid spoilers.

ED.02508.06.13

Echo Sun Times – Online Edition

June 13, 2508

Editorials

Editor’s Note: We are pleased today to post a submission from our former head columnist Evan N’Paqua. Though he’s been retired for five years, he still finds the time to write the occasional piece. We consider ourselves very fortunate to be his favored outlet for posting his work.

Fourteen years ago, I sent a man to jail. His name was Enoch Tevarios Kline, and he was evil. Now understand that I was a journalist for forty-six years, and I always tried to keep my opinions neutral. I chose my words carefully, and I rarely let my personal feelings interfere with my columns. So when I tell you that Kline was evil, I don’t use the word lightly.

Kline was a local businessman and philanthropist. He was well respected by the community, and the last person anyone would have suspected of being a killer. When I was sent to interview him, it wasn’t to bring him down. It was a filler piece, part of a “community heroes” feature we were running at the time. I was there to ask him about his humanitarian programs, such as the scholarships he was awarding to disadvantaged high school students.

We held the interview in his home, in a book-filled study I envy to this day. It went well until I asked about his family. He told me the heartbreaking story of how his wife and children had been killed in an accident. But if I have one talent, it’s that I know a lie when I see one. Something about his story didn’t add up. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to wake my inner investigator.

I won’t go into the details of my investigative process, but you can read my original column from 2494 in the archives. This wasn’t your typical case of “businessman has wife murdered.” No, what I uncovered, and what was further discovered after his incarceration, showed a level of immorality I’ve never encountered before or since. His wife wasn’t just murdered. She was forced to fight a chetal, nude and unarmed, in an underground arena. His children suffered an even worse fate, victims of depraved acts that I’d prefer not to revisit in this article.

And it wasn’t just Kline’s own family. He bought and sold women and children like they were livestock, using his connections with the Inner Eye to manage a large network of disturbed clients. And he wasn’t just a trader. He often participated in arena events himself, performing absolutely monstrous acts of sexual violence against much weaker opponents, driven by the applause of his fans. And even that was only the tip of the iceberg, but I’ll stop retreading old ground.

The evidence I gathered during my investigation led to him receiving thirty-seven life sentences. I joked at the time that with good behavior, he would probably only serve half of that. I rested well for years, knowing that I’d helped to make the galaxy a slightly safer place.

On March 15th of this year, (SPOILERS for Bloodhunters v3: New Blood). Under threats of further destruction, the president of the United States of North America ordered the release of Kline, along with several other deeply disturbed criminals.

Did the president make the right call? Based on the information they had at the time, I’m not sure they had a choice. But it was later found out that (SPOILERS for Bloodhunters v3: New Blood). Some of the released criminals have already been recaptured, but some have disappeared into the winds.

The moment I heard that Kline had been released, I knew I was in danger. Fourteen years is a long time to hold a grudge, but Kline was just the sort of man to keep that level of hate alive. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one on his list, but I knew I had to be near the top. I took precautions. I hired two personal security agents to guard my house at night, and I started sleeping with a weapon at my side.

But I also knew my enemy. There was no precaution I could take that he wouldn’t anticipate. The only way I would ever be safe was to completely upend my life, changing my name and moving to another planet. I wasn’t going to do that. How much compromise is too much? Where is the line between living and surviving? Is life worth it if your life is no longer your own?

At my age, the choice was easy. I took precautions, and I would fight back if necessary. But I would be damned if I was going to spend my remaining years on the run from a sadistic psychopath.

I slept with one eye open for the first few weeks. But the mind can only stay in panic mode for so long, and eventually I settled back into my usual sleep routine. When Kline finally showed himself last night, I was sound asleep. He could have just ended it right there, not even bothering to wake me first. One pull of a trigger, or thrust of a blade, and the Echo Sun Times might have posted an entirely different article about me today.

But remember, we’re discussing a sadist. Kline received no joy from something as simple as murder. No, he had much bigger plans for me. I woke up choking, a metal cord wrapped around my neck. Before I knew what was happening, I was dragged out of my bed and down the hallway. He pulled me down the stairs, where my head thumped painfully on every step. Our final stop was my living room, where our audience consisted of two dead security guards, propped up on my couch, staring at us with glazed eyes.

  I’ll never know what his plans were for me, and to be honest, I’m thankful for that. The police later told me his bag was full of dental instruments, gardening tools, exotic weapons, and sex toys. But he never had a chance to use any of them on me. Because as I lay helpless on the floor, watching him reach into the bag, a mysterious woman stepped out of the shadows. Another late-night visitor had arrived.

Kline turned to confront this new arrival, and I strained to get a better view. It was a woman in black, dressed like a Hollywood ninja. She had crystal blue eyes and a red ponytail trailing from the base of her hood. She was armed with a shortsword, but there were more blades strapped to her belt.

Nothing I could write could do justice to the battle that followed. Kline pulled a curved blade out of his bag, and he attacked her without mercy. For several minutes the woman was on the defensive, blocking his attacks with no counterattacks of her own. At first I thought she was outmatched, if not by skill, then at least by ferocity. But I was wrong. She wasn’t threatened, she was gathering data.

When she finally decided to attack, she used what she had learned to deliver several quick wounds before disarming him. But the blade hadn’t been his only weapon. Panicked, he dove for his bag, and pulled out a serrated instrument that looked like it was designed to gut whales. He attacked again, only to lose his weapon once more a few seconds later.

No longer near his bag, he grabbed a poker from the fireplace. The woman could have stabbed him while his back was turned, but she held back. I’m almost positive I heard her stifle a laugh when she saw his weapon of choice. Nevertheless, their duel continued for quite a while, his iron poker against her shortsword.

By this time I had managed to loosen the cord around my neck, but I dared not move or interfere. I got the impression that the woman could have finished Kline at any time. She passed up several opportunities for an easy kill. Why was she holding back? Was she having fun with him?

But then it dawned on me. She was tiring him out, making sure he knew he was fighting for his life. She wanted him to feel as helpless as his victims had all those years ago. I don’t know where she got her seemingly endless supply of energy, but the longer they fought, the more I saw the despair creep into Kline’s face. He’d lost, he knew it, and every blow he blocked only prolonged the inevitable.

And yet the woman persisted, driving Kline into a corner, and then to the floor. She hammered on his fire poker until Kline no longer had the strength to hold onto it. “Please,” Kline begged, as he let the instrument clatter to the floor. He braced himself for the death blow, but it never came.

Instead, she pointed the sword at his chest, and spoke for the first time since her arrival. “Enoch Tevarios Kline. I am here to collect the reward for your capture. Will you come with me willingly, or would you like a rematch?” Without a word, Kline made a weak gesture of surrender.

There was fire in the woman’s eyes as she put the binders around his wrists. Her body shook with rage, and I realized that she was loathe to touch this disgusting man even to cuff him. Then I knew the truth. The reason she had treated the fight as a game, the reason she had allowed him to press the advantage for so long, the reason she had kept him blocking without going for the kill. It wasn’t just to tire him out, or to make him feel helpless.

She was being merciful.

She’d had to think of the fight as a game, because to do otherwise would have meant releasing her full anger. If she had allowed herself to fight with the fury in her soul, there wouldn’t have been enough pieces left of the man to return for a reward. There was a beast inside this woman, one that craved seeing Kline get the fate he deserved. Her detachment was for Kline’s protection, and to some extent, her own.

Once Kline was securely bound, she helped me off the floor. I looked at her face, at least the little bit of it not obscured by the mask. Her skin was flush, and there were tears in her eyes. It had taken every ounce of her strength to hold herself back, to stop herself from treating Kline the way he had treated his victims.

During my years on the staff of the Echo Sun Times, I found myself involved in many discussions about the ethics of bounty hunting. Do they break too many rules, or not enough? Are they more or less effective than law enforcement? I’ll admit that while I saw both sides of the issue at the time, I often came down in the camp that discouraged the practice. But last night my life was saved, not by the IGP or private security, but by a bounty hunter whose name I still don’t know. And she didn’t just save my life, but probably rescued me from a fate worse than death.

Fans of my columns know that I’m fond of the old expression, “The plural of anecdote isn’t data.” One or two positive experiences with bounty hunters doesn’t excuse the entire profession. I know better than to change my stance after a single event, especially so soon, when my emotions are still running high.

But I can tell you one thing. I will sleep well tonight.

Did you like what you just read? Consider purchasing the full e-book at one of these online retailers.

Now Available: Blood Samples

I've just released a new mini-book called Blood Samples. This is a collection of six short stories, all of which take place before the events of Bloodhunters v1: Bad Blood. 

You can get it from Amazon and several other e-book sites.

It's free on most platforms, so give it a read. You can also download it here: 

EPUB or PDF

If you like it, and want to know what happens next, check out the other books in the Bloodhunters series, which you can buy here:

Books by Xine Fury

Excerpts: Family

 

The following is an excerpt from Bloodhunters v3: New Blood, Chapter 01.06. Some of it might make more sense in context.

ED.02508.02.28

The statue of Princess Quora was the tallest landmark in Rarity City. The city had been so named due to the abundance of rare gems in its mines, though those mines had dried up years ago. That didn’t stop the tourists though, who paid big money for a chance to chip away at the rocks for an hour, hoping to get lucky where so many before them hadn’t.

Vex leaned over the railing of the giant left hand, on the narrow concrete path that traveled along the statue’s outstretched arms, running from fingertip to fingertip. Noisy tourists brushed past her, some glaring at her for standing still and blocking traffic. Vex didn’t care, her mission was more important than their vacation photos. Far below, Vex saw the entrance to the mines, as well as downtown, the outlying suburbs, and all the chintzy attractions that kept visitors from staying within their vacation budget.

She searched the crowd for one being, one needle in this chaotic haystack of pushy vacationers. The target’s name was Pythen, and they were a Navoran with light blue skin. Vex looked through her digital monocular, and zoomed in to survey various parts of the city. Wherever she looked, the monocular’s software scanned the crowd for Pythen’s face.

An aggressive seagull mistook the monocular’s strap for food, and tried to grab it as it flew by. Vex was so startled that she dropped the device. Reacting quickly, she reached out and called the monocular back into her hand. She didn’t have a huge range on her telekinesis - maybe ten meters at most - but fortunately she caught it before it fell beyond her reach.

She looked around. Had anyone seen her do that? Not that it mattered. Telekinesis was uncommon but it wasn’t unheard of. No one was going to burn her as a witch. Her current target even possessed the ability. But she’d grown accustomed to keeping it a secret, and she still felt a flash of shame whenever she used it.

Don’t tell your father. The words echoed through her mind. Her mother had said it so many times, it was drilled into her. Five-year-old Vera Xynth never understood why it was so important that her father not find out. She knew it had something to do with the fact that her parents didn’t have the power, and that her mother’s hairstylist did. But it was years before she put the pieces together. She managed to hide it until she was twelve, when she instinctively used her ability to save her father from a potential injury.

He was not grateful. To be fair, the majority of his anger was directed at Vera’s mother. They argued nightly, great shouting matches that kept Vera awake until sunrise. Her parents stayed together, but it would have been healthier for everyone if they hadn’t. Her mother started drinking, her father became more and more distant, and Vera felt like everyone blamed her. They stopped praising her for good grades, or punishing her for staying out past curfew. She felt like they no longer considered her their daughter. When she was fourteen, she ran away from home.

Vex no longer felt sad when she remembered her family. She’d found a much truer family with the East Side Daggers, and more recently with the Bloodhunters. She now knew that family wasn’t about blood, it was about acceptance.

She put down her monocular and clipped it to her belt. If Pythen was in Rarity City, they weren’t out sightseeing. They had an agenda. Vex would have to think like a criminal to find them. That wouldn’t be too hard for her; she’d spent most of her teen years stealing to survive.

Vex followed the walkway back up Princess Quora’s arm and into her ear. She took the elevator back down to the street level. The moment Vex stepped out of the elevator, a jumble of images flashed through her brain. This was her other power. It was a mild form of telepathy, but she had no control over it. Her mind subconsciously picked up the surface thoughts from all the people nearby, and predicted the near future based on their short-term decisions. It wasn’t exactly precognition, but it was close enough.

Right now it showed her a man playing cards. He was human, but Vex had a feeling he was connected to her quarry. There were at least three casinos nearby. She poked her head into the first one, but it had the wrong decor. The second one looked closer to what she’d seen in her vision, so she went inside and looked around. She knew she wouldn’t find Pythen here. Navorans weren’t allowed in most casinos. But maybe this card player would lead her to them.

It didn’t take long to find the gambler. He had the highest pile of chips at any of the tables, and he was attracting attention. Not far away, Vex saw a pit boss talking to a floorman, looking in the player’s direction. Apparently the player noticed too, because he lost a quarter of his winnings on his next bet. It must have been enough to satisfy the pit boss, because he shrugged and turned his attention elsewhere. But Vex recognized that it had been an intentionally bad bet, to throw off suspicion. The man won the next hand, then announced he was going to quit while he was ahead.

The player stood up and gathered up his chips. Keeping her distance, Vex followed him to the cash-out window. He took his credits and walked out the door. Vex continued to tail him. His next destination was another casino. Vex went in and sat down at a video poker machine, far enough away that she could watch him without arousing suspicion.

It didn’t take her long to figure out his angle. Before making any decisions, he always looked lost in thought. Sometimes his lips would move, almost imperceptibly. She’d seen people do that when talking to telepaths. This guy and Pythen were working together. But where was Pythen? He couldn’t be far, because Navoran telepathy didn’t have a very long range. But he couldn’t be in the casino. Even standing behind the building would rouse suspicion.

But he could be under it. Vex reached out with her mind, trying to sense if Pythen was in the utility tunnels below the building. But she sensed nothing, because that wasn’t one of her abilities. Still, it had been worth a try. Given the abilities she had now, who knew what else she might be capable of someday.

There was a hallway nearby that led to the restrooms. At the end of the hall, she saw a door marked “Utility Access: Employees Only.” There was a keycard reader next to the door. Vex walked around the casino floor, looking for a distracted employee. She spotted a floorman arguing with an older woman about whether the slot machines were rigged. The floorman’s keycard dangled from his belt. Vex made sure no one was looking, and held out her hand. The keycard wriggled out of its protective holder and flew into her grasp.

Once again making sure no one was watching, Vex walked down the hallway, swiped the keycard, and slipped into the utility room. It was hot in there, and not well-lit. Steam pipes and fuse boxes lined the walls. She found a floor grate with a ladder leading down into the tunnels below. The grate was locked, but Vex was good with locks.

As quietly as possible, she descended into the tunnel. These passages connected every business on this street. The tunnel stretched as far as she could see in both directions, with many side tunnels branching off the main passageway. Vex knew Pythen would want to be as close to his partner as possible to keep their mental link. She estimated about where the player had been sitting and searched in that direction. She arrived at a four-way junction, and peeked down the right tunnel.

Bingo. Pythen sat on a box, staring straight ahead, probably only seeing through their partner’s eyes. If Vex was quiet, she might be able to subdue them without much of a struggle.

Vex had only met one Navoran, but Trenyn’s powers were considered weak for their species. It was a dangerous prospect, attacking a fully-powered Navoran. They were powerful telepaths, and their telekinesis was unmatched. Vex could throw apples, but Pythen could probably throw hovercars. But she came prepared. Glik had given her a tranquilizer pistol, but instead of a sedative, the darts were filled with a drug that suppresses telekinesis.

Still crouched at the hallway entrance, Vex took careful aim at Pythen, and fired. The dart flew straight toward its mark. Then, mere centimeters from its target, the dart stopped in mid-air. Pythen turned their head and glared at Vex. Did you really think that would work? they asked telepathically.

Pythen stood up. They were about half a meter taller than Vex, had a large head, and yellow eyes. They had two arms but four hands – each arm split into two forearms at the elbow. Their blue skin turned darker, a sign of anger. The dart still hovered near their head.

Vex put on a brave face. “Pythen, you are wanted for eleven counts of fraud. If you come peacefully… well, it would sure make my job easier.”

Pythen hit her with the telekinetic equivalent of a punch to the face. It didn’t hurt much, but it sent her backward with such force that she flew more than ten meters. She might have broken some bones if she hadn’t used her own telekinesis to soften the landing. She rolled to her left and got to her feet. Seeing another side tunnel nearby, she sought refuge there.

It was a dead end, but there was a locked metal box fastened to the wall. Vex popped the lock and the box swung open on a hinge, revealing a control panel full of buttons and levers. There you are, she heard Pythen think as they reached her passage. She felt a prick in her neck. Pythen had hit her with her own dart.

Desperate, Vex pulled the largest lever, and all the lights went out. It was pitch black in the underground tunnels. Could Navorans see in total darkness? Vex wasn’t sure. She pulled out her monocular and switched it to night vision. Pythen certainly looked like they couldn’t see her. They appeared to be listening hard for her movement. Vex pulled the dart out of her neck and threw it across the hall. Pythen heard it hit the wall, and turned in that direction.

Vex pulled out her pistol and fired, the dart hitting Pythen in the back. They turned around angrily, throwing another invisible punch in Vex’s general direction. She tried to jump to the side, but it still knocked her sideways. Then the drug started to kick in, and Pythen staggered around, disoriented.

The effect was worse for Pythen than it was for Vex. Vex had been taught from an early age to suppress her telekinesis, and even today she treated it like a backup weapon. But Navorans were so incredibly dependent on their powers, losing them was like losing their arms.

The emergency lights flickered on. They could now see each other unaided, but without their mental powers, they were on equal footing. Vex pulled out her AON blades and switched them on. “Last chance,” she said.

I’ll take it, Pythen answered, their shoulders slumped.

“Oh,” Vex said, almost disappointed. She hadn’t expected that. She pulled out two pairs of cuffs and slipped them around Pythen’s wrists.

Pythen’s partner got away, but without a telepathic sidekick, he was out of business anyway. Pythen was kept drugged until they could be placed in a special cell that suppressed their abilities. Vex collected her bounty and returned to the Bloodwind.

A few days later she got a message from her mother. At first, she was confused. How did her mother know her address? Then she saw that it had been forwarded from the Bounty Hunter Registry. Pretty much anyone could message any registered hunter that way. Vex’s anonymity was still guaranteed unless she replied directly.

“My dearest daughter,

I saw your picture on the news. I’m so proud of you for catching that criminal. I have been following your career. You seem to be doing very well.

I miss you very much, but this is not an invitation to come home. When you left, a weight was lifted from this house. I’ve stopped drinking, your father and I have reconciled, and we’ve agreed to put the past behind us. I’m afraid that if you were to come home now, it would upset the apple cart.

But, I would still very much like to see you. Maybe we could meet for lunch sometime, just you and me. Your father doesn’t have to know. Just let me know.

I wish you the best of luck in your new career. Be careful and stay safe.

Love you always,

Mom”

Vex did not reply. She already had a family.

Like what you just read? Consider purchasing the entire e-book from one of these online retailers.

Excerpts: Among The Stars

The following is an excerpt from Bloodhunters v2: Blue Blood, Chapter 03.04. Some of the references make more sense in context.

ED.02347.06.19

Excerpt from the highly encrypted personal logs of Wexla Saurel Priviz, space explorer.

Thursday, 1700 hours, finds me sitting crossways in the pilot seat, legs hanging over one armrest, playing pinball on a datapad in my lap. I’m on a roll, I’ve got an extra ball locked and I’ve just achieved multi-ball. Then the unthinkable happens: triple drain, right down the center. In frustration I nearly throw the datapad across the cockpit. But I don’t. Instead I calmly pause the game and adjust the cigarette in my mouth. I don’t smoke. Once they discovered a way to make those healthy, fluoride cigarettes actually taste good, it seems like half the people on Earth took up the habit. But not me. Mine’s not even lit, I just have it because it reminds me of my wife. It’s been months since I’ve seen her. I hope I can go back soon. 

It’s hilarious, I took this job because I wanted some solitude. I’ve had trouble relating to humanity these days. Then, between missions, I met her. The woman with whom I wanted to spend the rest of this life. Now I only see her two months out of the year, if that.

I’ve been riding the warpstream for the better part of a year. It’s a dangerous way to travel, but that’s how we find new habitable planets. Warp into random points in the universe, and hope you don’t appear inside a star. 

Okay, okay, I’m making it sound more dangerous than it really is. While the warpstream is pretty random, it specifically scans for masses of gravity when deciding where to drop you. It’s designed to look for planet-sized gravity distortions, and to spit you out at a safe distance from them. So the chances of actually winding up inside a celestial body are pretty slim… but not zero.

Hopefully you find something good and place a beacon, so the next ships can home on it more easily. Eventually they build a warp gate so people can travel there safely.

My supplies are at less than half, and if I don’t hit paydirt soon I might have to cryo back anyway. Whenever I find myself brooding like this, missing everything I’ve left behind, I invariably start humming an ancient Elton John song. He’s right, it is lonely out in space. Sending out thousands of single-pilot vessels, as opposed to a small number of colossal exploration starships, was supposed to increase the odds of success. But it does have its drawbacks. Disgusted with myself - after all, no one forced me to accept this mission - I return to my game.

But only for a moment. A loud beep emits from the control panel beside me, startling me into losing my next ball. I instantly sit upright and examine the computer readout. And there it is. A solar system. I might be able to go back home sooner than expected. There is the familiar but still-jolting shudder as I drop back into realspace, and then I start scanning for habitable planets. Of course, the odds of finding a planet that’s immediately habitable are virtually nil, there’s always some amount of terraforming that has to be - hello, what’s this? Breathable atmosphere, two-thirds water, stable weather patterns... I guess I know which one to check out first. 

As the craft starts its automatic descent, I make preparations. I remove my flightsuit and pull on the body glove. Covering every inch of my body up to my chin, this thin fabric is both heat and cold resistant, and can filter out any harmful biotoxins while still allowing my skin to breathe. It even monitors my heart rate and other vital statistics. Next I put on my body armor. It’s light and form-fitting, but it’s strong. Built into the armor and helmet are weapons, scanning equipment, a jet propulsion system, air supply, communications, and a music player, without which I truly could not survive. I finish donning my suit just as the ship sets down. At least I know the ground’s stable. The hatch opens, the ladder descends, and I climb downward. I step off the ladder-

-and into paradise. The sky is a calm shade of lavender-gray, with the occasional pink cloud coasting by. The ground is covered with reddish sand, giving way to dark clay here and there. The vegetation that surrounds me is serene and beautiful, with white-barked trees that are barely taller than I am. In the distance I can hear the twittering calls of some sort of animal. So obviously this sphere supports life. I do a bioscan. Several animals in the vicinity, none of them larger than a cat. I see one of them now. It resembles a koala, but it’s only the size of a guinea pig. It scampers up to me, and I reach down and pet it. It nuzzles against my boot, making a sound similar to purring. This is beyond trusting. This is an animal that has never seen a predator in its life.

The bioscanners tell me that the air is breathable, time to put that to the test. A press of the button and my faceplate slides up into my helmet. I take a deep breath, and it’s heaven. The air is clean, cleaner than I’ve ever breathed. Earth never had air this clean. I catch the sweet scent of some kind of flora, and my heart races. The air is cool but not cold against my skin. I walk around, leaving the purring animal behind. I keep telling myself I’m just doing my job, scouting the area and making a judgment as to the planet’s habitability, but I know that I’m really just enjoying the scenery. This, right here, this is why I do this job.

I find a beach. The water is so clear I can see the bottom. An impulse hits me - completely against regulations, but I’m compelled. I scan the water, it’s safe. Did I expect anything less? No toxins, no chemicals, not even dangerous aquatic lifeforms, just pure H2O. I take a quick glance around, as if there were actually a possibility of someone watching. Then I take off the body armor, followed by the body glove. I test the water with my toes. Perfect. Of course. Next thing I know, I’m in it up to my neck and having the time of my life. I swim, I splash, I float on my back. It’s the most enjoyable experience I’ve had on this entire mission. 

Eventually I do heed my responsibilities and grudgingly put my biosuit back on. I make my way back to the ship and begin to file my report.

“Solar System 31526, Sector 17, Subsection G2, 4th Planet”

“Geologic State: Stable”

“Atmosphere: Earthlike”

Right. Earthlike? This is better than Earth. Much better. I finish the report, citing detail after perfect detail, until finally my finger hovers over the send button. This is it, a successful mission, I can finally go home. I look out the viewscreen, at this incredible planet, and and think about what it will look like in ten years. Maybe it won’t be so bad. Architecture these days is rather pleasing to look at, and we don’t pollute the air as much as we used to. There will certainly be fewer of those interesting trees, but some will survive. And those friendly animals... Okay, so maybe they won’t always be as trusting as they are right now. But they’ll survive. All in all, this will be a great place for the human race to perpetuate its rapidly increasing population. A place to start over, and maybe do things right for once. So...

My finger hovers a second more, and finally I hit the erase button. I’ll keep looking, but I’ll remember this place. For now, maybe I’ll just keep this planet to myself.

If you liked what you just read, please consider purchasing the full e-book at one of these online retailers.