Under a starry, moonless sky, Grace started toward Port Casper. She marveled at how similar the sights were to Cloister Eleven. Little had changed in a century, or two, or three. Grass whispered in the breeze, the mesas kept watch, and most of the land remained open, save for small towns. Cattle grazed on the hills and prairies, as they always had. The grass didn’t look as full as the turf on their family ranch, and the cattle were decidedly less robust, but it wasn’t so different outside cloister. Not here, anyway.
Yet Grace hasn't gone very far...
Ahead was the neighborhood behind Raj’s. Unlike the heart of Bod Town with its dream castles, this area had smaller, older shops. Places where she could duck into, elude compstate should the need arise. And Tim was hundreds of times more stealthy than she because his mimic coat could look like anything, including the pile of metarm junk she saw to her left. Vaulting over the scrap pile, she headed down an alley.
Read MoreGrace emerged from the Frawley as the sun lit the top of the buildings. She smiled as she faced east, her belly full of nuts and unseasonal fruit. Her old academy clothes, black and lightweight, were still good for exercise if nothing else. Grace started to run.
Read MoreAvonaco held vigil by the medical pod, his cheek resting against its transparent canopy, his gaze locked on the operation inside. Procedure by procedure, the pod dutifully executed his instructions.
Read MoreGrace, chagrined, took a long sip from her coffee. She considered Avonaco as she did. She hadn’t figured the kid out. He had deftly extracted her from ITB. He’d broken into their security network and somehow—she’d have to ask about this later—managed to evade the array of infrared sensors protecting the cellblock.
Read MoreThe next building had a worn copper sign: ESSEX SYMBIOTIC COMPANY. Ah, there’s what I’m looking for, she thought, crossing to the door. She put her hand on the access panel.
Read MoreGrace felt numb, her thoughts wrenching from one image to the next. There was no logic, no direction. She was a marionette worked by grief. She stared at the frayed edge along the bottom of Kyran’s lab coat. He should repair that. She didn’t understand why he’d wear cheap fabric when mimic would be superior.
Read MoreJacob Rander opened his eyes at the sound of water. He felt the cool wall of the canyon on his back where he’d fallen asleep in the shade. He rose, rubble crackling beneath his feet, and hiked down the rocky slope toward a narrow river, flowing fast. More than once his boot slid, a spray of rocks preceding him, so he took a leisurely pace, checking his steps.
Read MoreIn the brief silence that followed, Grace spied the access port. It was a small silver rectangle at waist level, just within reach of her right hand. She couldn’t quite see all of it, but she could verify it by touch.
Read MoreShe loved navigation—keeping Wragg apprised of their position within the Ma’adim Vallis. In turn, he taught her how to use navigational aids and how to plot a course.
Read MoreTaisia didn’t turn around as Grace entered the cockpit.
“Take any seat, Protector.”
The pilot faced forward, her attention focused on the yoke in her right hand and a flashing keypad just below the throttle on her left.
Read MoreMustered at the range in the chill Wyoming spring, the platoon stood at ease while Finn Smith, the range master, briefed them on the morning’s drill.
Read MoreGrace Donner pulls down the long spiral within the Bode-6 outpost on Ceres. Enjoy the music while Grace conducts a tracking exercise to see how well she can navigate low gravity.
Read MoreGrace's first glimpse of Ceres is aboard the belt cruiser Waltz. Plate and Taisia, two asteroid miners (called roiders) explain what she sees. Finally, Tim Trouncer explains how the outposts were constructed.
Read MoreThe novel PodPooch is the first glimpse we get of Donner Ranch. The situation for the characters is grim, but the majesty of the setting cannot be underestimated.
Read MoreAvo and Grace (with Jaya's consciousness at the forefront) traverse the Laramie Mountains until they reach Friend Park.
Read MoreBelow, Grace saw a gentle slope that curved higher and higher until it reached a large, flattened peak.“What is that, Raj?”
Read MoreAn hour went by, and the lines got closer. They became columns that shimmered as they rose into the sun, their tops bending and falling into wispy arcs as the wind held sway. Grace leaned toward the viewscreen, eager to see.
Read MoreA loafer is a type of sentry robot. It's not terribly intelligent on its own, but sophisticated hardware can be attached to it that makes it stealthy and lethal. Want to know what a loafer looks like?
Read MoreBalaharas is a famous (or is it infamous?) club in the Bod Town district. Grace Donner first encountered it in Port Casper.
Read MoreI was giving Justin a hard time in 2011. He mentioned a draft I finished (which may never see the light of day) and it started the conversation that eventually took us to Port Casper.
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