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Logan Preaker, Seiner Butch, Amira Dhorian, and Tania Maestas (of Earth Warriors, by Lui Petri)

Dear readers, tonight with us are four unlikely heroes from Earth’s future. They are here to speak about the alien empire that declared war on earth, and about rising to the challenge when militaries and governments crumble.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

Logan: Oh, an interview right here and now?

Tany: Oh yay! We besties are gonna get super famous after this!

Seiner: Tany, focus on the questions for this time, please…

Amira: So, this will be those archival questions back in Sorania? I can take that as you wish, dear human.

Logan: So, where do I grew up for each of us, you say? Well, I was raised near the Little Tokyo district in LA, which is where I could find many people of various ethnicities, most were good, and chatty and go to play around while my parents did their business, others didn’t care much, but my parents always taught me to always love everyone for what they do, instead what they are like. To see the inside instead of the exterior if you catch what I say. It didn’t came without sacrifices, but that’s how it was for me.

Seiner: Alright. Name’s Seiner Butch, originally from the old England, yet no teacups or grey rains as you assume from us. But that nitpick aside, got some dual parents like Logan had, with my dad being the best lawyer back then while I took my chances in studies and curriculums and all that bloke stuff. That’s how I got this brain, yeah. As for how we got here… long story, maybe next time.

Amira: I shall gracefully speak out now. Amira Dhorian, former princess of the Dhorian Royal Family from the Soranian Kingdom, one of the main planets of the Committee of Planets. As princess, I was instructed to practice my knowledge of diplomatic measures, as well as some close combat should the need of war arrive. For that nature, I grew up training in other planets with my brother Varris, where I also practiced my power to understand beings through their hearts and souls, something that benefited us Soranians for decades. Such where simpler times where I thought peace was the guaranteed form for all life forms. Sadly, that didn’t came to be.

Tany: Well, if you want to light up the mood, here ya go! Name’s Tania Maestas but call me Tany if you like! An El Paso girl from my travelling parents who wanted to make their cute lil’ girl smile even if they took odd jobs to feed me and all that jazz, get some besties in school and even try to make it fun for the others! And after the fun, I had even more in Dallas, where I tried to be a goodie one even when my grades didn’t grade on Einstein, but hey, I found my besties. But now… I can make besties with these three!

Seiner: Hopefully without getting to blow your staff up, that is.

Tany: Hey!

Did you have any favourite toys as a child? Any cherished memories?

Logan: Ah yes, I do remember fondly once I went to a day in the beach with my high school pals, just watching the sunset with people no matter who they were was the sight I can always cherish the most in life, the closest I could see in following what my parents and Richard wanted for me. That, and having dinner with the closest town hall in Los Angeles, that act of kindness I won’t ever forget…

Seiner: Me? It’s so obvious from me, but for your insistence, building my first ever functional robot with C-… My brother witnessed it in its full glory back in a park. To even achieve that a tender age? Must mean I have the gift… Or if you want something more sentimental, I’d say my 6th Christmas with whole family. The happiest I’ve been before it went down. No, not the time to say.

Amira: I have so many, but if I must pick one, it is when I felt the touch of Varris when I was born. Even fresh from birth, I could see that Varris’s touch carried warmth that showed me the beauty of a person, the first one I could read. Even if they kept a firm face, I could hear the joy and crying within him, to have a sister to look for. That is what I can cherish right now.

Tany: Awww. Oh, me? Oh, so many to pick, so little to tell, how can I… Oh, got it! Rapid fire! My 10th birthday party with the whole neighborhood, getting my only A+ in class, going to Berlin in class, and of course, tying my shoes, all made me smiley smile so very much I can tell you all day! Oh wait, I forgot when I won the arcade prize and-

Seiner: Next…!

What do you do now?

Logan: The de facto leader of the Earth Warriors while working in tandem with the UEF in the war against the Zlocu. It’s the choice we had to carry out to survive, if what the Guardian see in us is true. I strike with my blade to shield those who need to survive, and also to take down whenever possible, even though I believe there has to be other ways. Given I’m the only left in the family, I had to settle with them, but I like them, I really do.

Amira: Oh, Logan…

Seiner: I’m the gadgeteer and genius. If you need some transport or a specialized weapon or anything else to get through some messy obstacle, I’m your guy. Of course, it’s time limited in how I use them, so I must calculate which one is the best use, so I balance that out as much as I can.

Amira: Well, given that my planet is no more, I am still thinking of what I should do for my people’s memory, while I try to understand humans even more right now, even those oustside Logan, Seiner and Tany while I still look for Varris. It is a scary thought, yet for the sake of all, I must continue.

Tany: And I’m your magical jester student who can summon almost everything you need or if you want to get your sorry butt kicked like a naughty dog! You want some snow flakes to chill? You got it! Want to fire up a BBQ? I got you! Want me to slap little butts with giant gloves? I can-

Seiner: No. Cease.

Tany: But why?!

Logan: I… think because that would a bit too dirty for this interview.

Tany: C’mon, Loggie, not you too!

What can you tell us about your latest adventure?

Logan: Well, it was a close one to say the least, the first one since Amira got released from custody. Going into a stadium from San Diegoto rescue top scientists and some of our comrades in a hellish three way against the Zlocu was not in my bingo card but despite all, we got through, right guys?

Seiner: Oh, for sure, Logan. At least splitting up in each direction helped us to ease the pressure in knowing who to save and shield while we did our parts.

Amira: Yes, I certainly have done so much to secure everything in place, but when facing Yamja… I tried my best to control myself, but even then, there was so much I can handle. I am thankful for Logan for stepping on time.

Tany: And then we got some pizza party back at base to get everyone happy! Almost everyone though, that meanie Ji-ae sulked with that asshat Walty like we weren’t there. Is that the thanks we get?!

Amira: I believe they are still processing what has happened, especially with their partner.

Tany: Oh… yeah, move on, never mindly that.

Continue reading “Logan Preaker, Seiner Butch, Amira Dhorian, and Tania Maestas (of Earth Warriors, by Lui Petri)” →
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Rav’Orn aka Raven (of The Death Bringer, by J. Scott Coatsworth)

Dear readers, tonight with us is a man defending his planet from an alien invasion. He’s here to tell about his friends in this, and about being a half dragon.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

That’s a loaded question. I lost my mother when I was six in a fire. Talk about things that will fark you up. When Mim’Aza took me in, I did okay for a while. We lived in a run-down neighborhood just outside of the five Spines of Gullton. I had a huge crush on Jimey, her son, but it never went anywhere—we were basically brothers, so that would have been weird. *shudders* But soon enough I left and moved out on my own, finding a hidey-hole cavern under the city to make my own.

Did you have any favourite toys as a child? Any cherished memories?

I try not to think about that time too much. It reminds me of the fire. My mother… well, she was a drunk and her carelessness started the fire, but still… she was my mom. All right? And living with Mikm’Aza, we were always dirt poor. But there was this one thing. Lean in. Closer. It’s a secret. See, one time, out in Lander’s Field, I found this… well, not thing. More of a him. This little talking sphere who told me his name was Spin. I know. Weird, right? But on a thief’s honor, I swear it’s true. And now he’s one of my best friends. Does that count?

What do you do now?

Well… that’s also a bit sketchy to answer. Why are you asking so many questions? Are you with the city guard? You know you have to tell me if I ask, right? No? All right. So… yeah, I was a thief. For a long time. And I was really good at it. But then the whole steal-a-package and swallow-a-dragon thing happened, and everything changed. I guess I’m a dragon rider now? Or a world saver? That will really piss Silya off, even more than when Aik chose me over her. But I’m keeping my options open. Once a thief, always a thief. Right?

What can you tell us about your latest adventure?

Let’s catch you up. I swallowed a dragon. Silya became the Hencha Queen, and talks with the plants, or something like that. Aik… well, Aik found a gauntlet, and he’s been weird ever since. Oh and he kissed me (and more) but then I took off with a couple of dragons to Mountainhome – think of it as Dragnlandia. Only we call ‘em Verents around here. Then the world went sideways, these weird alien fireflies showed up, and Silya and I got caught up in the whole saving the world business. Only, neither of us knows what happened to Aik. I’m pretty sure he’s my soulmate, and I’ll do whatever I have to, to get him back. Even if it does mean saving the world from fungus-like alien invaders. So I have a lot on my plate.

Continue reading “Rav’Orn aka Raven (of The Death Bringer, by J. Scott Coatsworth)” →
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Katrina (Cat) Mancini (of Life and Death on Mars, by Edward M. Lerner)

Dear readers, tonight with us is an astronaut, speaking about the second cold war in the near future and the race to Mars between the US, China, and assorted billionaires.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

I was an Army brat, so you name it. A half dozen places in the US. All across Europe. Once Japan and twice Australia. I can mispronounce words and mangle syntax in five languages. Apparently I speak French and German like an Alsatian, which is an insult from both sides. Ask me if I care.

Anyway, the first few moves taught me not to get too attached to places – or to people. Don’t take that to mean I’m some kind of loner, because I also learned to make friends quickly. Having friends around the world? That’s seriously cool.

As odd as the lifestyle seems to most folks, it’s what I knew. Straight out of high school, I enlisted. Already then I’d had my eye on going to space, and any of the services would pay for an engineering degree. Becoming a pilot was the logical first step and the Air Force, by far, has the most pilots of all the service branches. You don’t want to know how Dad took it when I joined the Air Force. He coped better with the move to NASA.

What do you do now?

Commander of NASA’s international Ares mission to Mars. Pilot of Meriwether Lewis, one of the mission’s pair of spacecraft. The second ship, of course, is the William Clark.

Anyway, that’s what I did until … well, best I not say.

What can you tell us about your latest adventure?

Only insane people would think to throw together a crewed mission to Mars in less than two years. Those, unfortunately, are the people I work for. After President Wu announced a mission to Mars, no way was our president willing to let China get there first.

Speaking of lunatics, well, then there’s my unofficial overseer. More than anyone, Xander Hopkins was the architect of our mad dash. It serves Xander right that the prez plunked him into my crew to be her eyes and ears. Even if – eventually – he became a good friend.

What did you first think when you got to Mars?

Technically speaking, I didn’t. I got us safely to its moon Phobos. From Phobos, we dispatched an armada of robots to explore the world below. Because to actually set boot on Mars would have massively compounded the challenges – challenges which the other guys discovered all too soon.

At way less than one light-second’s round-trip comm lag with the surface we had real-time control of all those bots. We could, and did, cover lots of ground. Drilled lots of exploratory holes. Flew everything interesting up to our Phobos base for closer examination.

You know what? Forget the party line that from Phobos we were responsibly searching for Martian life. That we posed no risk of contaminating it – if it was even there – with earthly microbes. I wish to God we could’ve flown those last few thousand miles. Instead, we had Mars ever overhead. Like a mottled red dinner plate hanging in the sky. Looming. Taunting.

What was the scariest thing in your adventures?

Setting aside That Which Cannot be Revealed Without Spoilers, there’s still much to choose from. I’ll go with the landing on Phobos because landing is such misnomer. Phobos is basically a potato-shaped rock. Its longest axis is scarcely 16 miles. A rock that small has no gravity to speak of. You don’t actually land there. You very carefully dock with it – only there’s no docking mechanism to engage.

What you do is, you harpoon the damned potato, then slowly reel yourself to the surface. No one knew for certain till we arrived that’d this could even work. Would harpoons bounce off? Would their impacts spatter us with rocky debris? What if any of our tether reels froze at the last moment? What if tethers tangled? Coming down askew, not squarely on our landing feet, could’ve bashed in something critical and stranded us.

Surrendering control to a damned computer and glorified garden-hose reels is no pilot’s notion of a good idea. Scary as hell, in fact. Not that, in front of crew, I ever said any of that. But, okay, in the end, the landing worked as planned. We did get down in one piece.

What was the worst thing about living on a spaceship?

Had you asked me about any previous mission, I’d have said the crowding. Spaceflight is like a bunch of people living together in a closet. Or maybe I’d have said the smell, for pretty much the same reason. But those previous flights were to Earth orbit, or lunar orbit, or to the Moon itself – in every case, for just a few days.

The flight to Mars took six months! You can’t help but get used to the crowding. It’s that or go psycho. You can’t help but become immune to the stench. Which leaves … the people themselves. You can’t get away from them – or them from you. You can’t not get on one another’s nerves from time to time. Sure, the psychologists had had their say. They’d declared us compatible. As if they had any clue what it’s like.

Aboard Lewis with me were the aforementioned Xander, the mad genius behind our crazy mission plan, and the uptight Canadian flight surgeon, Sonny Ying. We were at times, despite our best efforts, like cats and dogs. Or maybe oil and matches. And utterly dependent on one another.

What is the best thing about it?

As it turns out, Sonny. She and I developed … a thing. Which, I’d hafta guess, became the worst part about the flight for Xander. There’s not a lot of privacy in a closet.

Whom (or what) do you really hate?

Xenophobe paranoid nutcases. They don’t want us to go home! In the name of protecting Earth from some imaginary Martian plague, the so-called Planetary Protection League is already a sort of plague on Earth. Damned Luddites.

Edward M. Lerner worked in high tech and aerospace for thirty years, as everything from engineer to senior vice president, for much of that time writing science fiction as his hobby. He is the author of sixteen SF novels (five of them collaborations with Larry Niven) and dozens of shorter works. His 2015 novel InterstellarNet: Enigma won the inaugural Canopus Award for fiction “honoring excellence in interstellar writing,” while other of his works have been nominated for Locus, Prometheus, and Hugo awards. He also writes popular science, notably including Trope-ing the Light Fantastic: The Science Behind the Fiction.

You can find Cat on the pages of Life and Death on Mars.

Browse our archives for past interviews, or follow the site by email (bottom-right) to know immediately when your new best-book-friend makes an appearance.

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Charon Antares (of Bloodstained Skies, by Dagmar Rokita)

Dear readers, tonight with us is a rebellion leader, a shrewd warrior struggling for years to liberate his planet. He’s here to tell us about disastrous missions and conflicting loyalties in the quest to save his people.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

I was born on Zetherion. This planet isn’t a friendly place. The land is covered by dead deserts, and the seas are too salty for many aquatic animals. Basically, the only living organisms you can see here are insects, little reptiles and parched bushes. There are only two sources of potable: very deep wells and melting snow.

We live in caves, houses made of mud bricks or tents. I spent my childhood in a pretty big city. A city with over 70 000 inhabitants is pretty big for this planet. I had a room in a two-story brick house. It was poorly furnished, but also very cozy and warm at night.

My relationship with neighbours was just alright. The Zetherionian folks are stubborn and tough-minded but also helpful. The harsh environment forced us to be like this but I’m proud of this place and these people.

Any cherished childhood memories?

My childhood was completely dull. Wake up, do housework, read some textbooks (since schools weren’t very common) and go to sleep. My father used to live with me but he’s not worth mentioning here. He was nothing more than a flatmate. I was the only child and I’m not sure what happened to my mother. My father said she died during childbirth. There were no doctors in my neighbourhood.

The first memory I can call “cherished” was meeting my cellmates when I was 17. One of them, Khatesios, gave me his blanket and tried to talk with me. I regret fobbing him off. Khaty was the first person there who offered me help.

What do you do now?

I’m fighting for my world, Zetherion. Since I’m the leader of this rebellion unit, I cannot afford to make mistakes. I’m also the owner of the biggest spaceship ever built, so my missions usually focus on space battles and special land operations. I’m used to living in hard conditions too and sometimes I support special land operations. In my opinion, my most important duty is supporting my people, giving them hope and motivation.

Continue reading “Charon Antares (of Bloodstained Skies, by Dagmar Rokita)” →
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Aldeaith Tearshan (of The Outworlder, by Natalie J. Holden)

Dear readers, tonight with us is a young soldier who left his bucolic world to get a taste of the bigger universe. He’s here to tell us about the people of a thousand worlds, of the technomagic that binds them together, and picking sides when the rebels are people he grew up with.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

I was born in Nes Peridion, one of the newly colonized worlds in Meon Cluster. My parents came from Tarviss—well, they were brought by their lord, but quickly realized that away from Tarviss he had no way to keep them under control and got rid of him. So we lived as free people.

My parents were simple farmers and the first people to settle in Nes Peridion. It took them a lot of work to turn it into the fruitful farming colony it is today. The beginnings were especially hard, our crops and stock needed time to adjust to local soil and climate. I was born a few cycles after they settled and I think that by that time, the worst was already over. Some years were rough, though.

What did you do as a child?

There was always something to do at the farm, and we had to help since we were old enough to stand. Not the hard stuff, just keeping an eye on zeeath birds or working in the herb garden.

‘We’?

I have a sister and two older brothers. Well, had. My brothers died as children, taken by the diseases. I don’t really remember them too well.

My sister’s fine. She lives with our mom in Nes Peridion.

Between dead siblings and constant work, that sounds like a pretty rough childhood.

It’s the one I had. Do you think Dahlsian children have it better? They may get their education and their playtime, but they spend their lives locked in. They never feel the sun on their faces, or the breeze in their hair. They never play with living animals. They don’t even eat real food, only this tubed sludge. And when they go outside, they freak out, they go down with allergies, sunburn, and their immune systems are so compromised, a light cough can kill them.

I was never sick in my life. Drop me in a new world and I can survive, I don’t even need any fancy technomagic. I know how to find shelter, make water safe to drink, find food. I could build my own house if I had to. And I’m strong enough to carry a Dahlsi person through half the world—I already did that once, when my colleague broke her leg. She was as light as a feather.

So was it really that bad for me?

Do you have any cherished memories?

Hm. Maybe the times Aeva and I ran to the river to play. I liked making patterns with colorful stones. Aeva was always better at pretending. She also learned to crochet little dolls—I think in old Tarviss they were used for some rituals, but we just used them to play. Although mom would always undo them to save the yarn. Textiles were hard to come by in Nes Peridion.

Just the two of you?

Yeah. We were never good with other people—well, Aeva was a bit better, she even had friends. But most of the time we preferred each other’s company.

It got harder as I grew older and my brothers died. The amount of work to do remained the same, but there were fewer hands to do it. We were a small community, you know, so we had to do everything by ourselves. Not just grow food, but make houses, make furniture, make tools. Travel to the lake to fish or the nearby mountains for salt and lime. Also, there was no iron anywhere nearby so if a tool broke and no trader came, we had to replace it with a flint one. 

Flint?

It’s not so uncommon. All the metals in Tarviss have been mined ages ago; iron tools have to be brought from off-world and if they break, people have to use what they have on hand.

I became quite good at this. Maybe because I could sit for hours hitting rocks until they produced something I was happy with.

What do you do now?

I left Nes Peridion to work for Mespana. It’s a Dahlsian organization, but they accept outworlders. Our primary job is exploring new worlds within Meon Cluster and assessing their usefulness to the colonists. But we also had other duties. Escorting tax collectors or helping colonists with various problems.

Continue reading “Aldeaith Tearshan (of The Outworlder, by Natalie J. Holden)” →
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Kate & Kyle (of Chaos Fountain, by D.C. Ballard)

Dear readers, tonight with me is a rambunctious couple. Let’s hope we can settle them down to an interview about life in their world, where they will tell us how an average-Joe got to be an intergalactic admiral, and what is it like living with a commercial telepath.

Kyle: “Oh for crying out loud, another one of these? Don’t I even get to introduce myself? I’m sure you have that down somewhere, but can I at least intro myself?”

Of course.

Kyle: “Cool, thank you. Hope you don’t mind, but I asked my fiance to join me this time. I expected that when Tory asked me to sit for another interview, that it would be another one of these things.”

That is fine.

Kyle: “Well, my name is Kyle Durlow, and this is my fiance Kate Trell-do.”

Kate: “Katlene Thor Trell-do, to be specific. Kyle, how come the only person I can sense is you?”

Kyle: “Not sure. I suspect that the interviewer isn’t actually here, or they are some kind of semi-sentient construct. Tory still hasn’t answered that question from the first time around.”

Kate: “Ah. Wish a lack of answers from him was a surprise.”

So, Kyle. Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

Kyle: “Nothing special about where I grew up, assuming you are familiar with mid-90’s Earth. I mean. I have been to several alternate realities at this point, and with few exceptions, the mid-90s is damn near the same everywhere. Kinda weird that way.

I was born in central California. Lived and grew up in the Sacramento/Auburn/Stockton area over various parts of my youth and teenage years. Went to high school there. Was a B-ish student, had a few friends, summer job at one fast food joint or another. I hung out at the mall. Got my first car at 16, a true POS of a VW Rabbit. It only had three cylinders, but it got me to where I needed to go, and it sipped gas.

I did community college and earned Associates, which got me a job in San Diego. Like I said, nothing special about me, at least not until I met Kate.”

I see. Okay then, what about you Kate? Or do you prefer Katlene?

Kate: “Kate is fine, thank you.

I was born on the Kaldaree colony world of Fuullist, where my father was working at the time as a power consultant. I spent the first few years of my life as a colony kid. I got a better education than most because dad was well paid and mom was from a core family. Because my mother wasn’t more than a sensitive, she could choose any mate she wanted. Don’t let the laws fool you. The core families don’t give you much choice, other than a choice of pre-selected mates, if you are anything over a Class 8.

My abilities manifested right when they should, which was only a year we after returned to Kal-dar, the Kaldaree home world. As I was already done with my base education, and displaying abilities, mom’s family sponsored me to attend the second best telepath academy. I was only rated as a high Class 10, so I consider myself lucky to have gotten that. The graduation certificate got me into the legal telepath program, and uncle Kel covered the cost as a graduation present.

As with Kyle, it really was not that unusual for someone of my species who was a low level telepath. I had friends, played kids games. I was normal.” Continue reading “Kate & Kyle (of Chaos Fountain, by D.C. Ballard)” →

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Nash Xander Korpes (of The Korpes File by J.I. Rogers)

Dear readers, tonight with me is a master technician, formerly with the Korlune Military Research and Development. He is also the first from the diasporan population to win top prize at the prestigious Symposium.

As Nash’s time is limited, I’ve arranged to meet with him between appointments. He indicated that he is willing to answer questions about his early life and talk about some of  the difficulties he’s faced, career-wise, in a country ruled by xenophobic traditions.

Congratulations to you and your team on your recent Symposium win, Master-Tech Korpes. Do you have a moment to share with my readers?

Certainly, it would be my privilege, Assaph. I’m a big fan of your column.

How does it feel to be the first Diasporan entrant to have won this prestigious competition?

That’s not entirely accurate. My Master-Mech, Davis Trent, is also Diasporan but I think I can speak for both of us by saying it feels great.

Can you give my readers a little history about yourself? Where were you born, for instance?

Born? Just kidding. Yes, contrary to popular opinion I wasn’t hatched in a Rec-Gen lab; I had real parents, though I never met my father. He was killed in our last border skirmish with Ankoresh. My great-grandparents were among the first Tyran refugees settled in Diaspora Twelve after the final exodus. Locals referred to D-Twelve as Astel which means ‘hope’ in Tyr; my mother said it actually translated to ‘awful weather.’

By the time I was seven, my mother had become the Master-Mech in charge of the city’s reactor. She, my grandmother, my sister and I lived in a three-bedroom apartment that had been in our family since the settlement. The city was less than twenty kilometers from the coast, so we were constantly being hit by the storms that blew in from the Northern Hotari Sea; our dome maintenance crews deserved medals for their efforts.

Up until ten years ago, Astel had one of the top producing Tellium mines which employed over half the city’s population. Sadly, like most of our equipment, our air filtration systems were outdated and couldn’t handle the level of dust that was generated. The particulates that escaped created a perpetual amber-hued haze. You had to mask-up when they were swapping the filters out, or you’d run the risk of getting a lung infection. Continue reading “Nash Xander Korpes (of The Korpes File by J.I. Rogers)” →

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Jazatar Baldrik, aka Jaz (of Trust A Few by EM Swift-Hook)

Dear readers, tonight we have something slightly different. A notorious criminal was recently released back into The City. After 5 years of brutal convict military service, he has to face up to a future with very limited prospects.

We could not get him to appear on the interview couch as a guest, as we lost track of him amongst the stars. Instead, we were able to replicate here the last pre-release report from the Coalition.

Report of interview with Jazatar Baldrik.

Pre-Release assessment final phase. Interview conducted by Specialist Interrogator Kilven, Coalition Security Forces. Interrogation Room 473.

Subject appeared slightly ill at ease, high levels of adrenaline recorded, several emotional peaks noted, none visible externally. Neurocological reports suggest the degree of honesty and self-revelation the interview required will have been a mid-level trauma for the subject.

So Jaz – You prefer I call you Jaz? Good – You have been serving a sentence with the Special Legion for the last  five years – and that means you must have committed a crime that is considered a capital offense. Can you tell me about that? Oh, and do bear in mind we’ll know if you are lying to us and if you do that could prejudice your chances of release.

Yeah. I know that. I’ve been wired to the Lattice long enough to know how it works. But, your question, what’s to tell? It’ll all be in my record and you lot ripped everything I ever knew about anything out of me when I was arrested. So you know I was part of a terrorist attack on a Coalition installation. If it’d worked it’d have screwed up Coalition control of the Varn Sector, but it didn’t – someone must’ve betrayed us because you lot were there and waiting. And you know what? The fact I had zero previous and a solid record as a merc fighting in your inter-corporate resource wars didn’t even get a mention at my trial. And you’ll also know I never liked those fanatics in the Legacy, I’m not going to have anything more to do with them. I only did it for my brother.

Ah yes, your ‘brother’ – not a biological relationship, but you felt a strong emotional bond for Avilon Revid, the leader of that terrorist strike. Do you still feel the same way?

About Avilon? Well now that’s an interesting question, because he’s not ‘Avilon Revid’ anymore is he? After your brain plumbers got through with him he’s a completely different person. He’s not got the faintest idea about what he was like before, only what he’s been told. So no, I don’t feel the same way – I feel it different. But no matter what he’s become he’s still my brother and I’m not going to let him rot if he gets out of this. Continue reading “Jazatar Baldrik, aka Jaz (of Trust A Few by EM Swift-Hook)” →

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Ayn (of Shiva XIV by Lyra Shanti)

shiva-xiv-lyra-shanti

Dear readers, tonight with us is Ayn, otherwise known as The Bodanya, Shiva the Fourteenth. Predestined to become the great messiah of his people, Ayn must save his galaxy from disease and war. But when an unknown enemy threatens everyone he loves, the destiny he thought was his spins out of control.

He is here to tell about the conflicts of his true identity, and the choices he made in life. 

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

I grew up secluded in the Holy Temple on the planet Deius. I was mostly raised by the high priest, Meddhi-Lan, who was like a father to me. I didn’t know my mother very well, unfortunately, for it was against the Dei priests’ laws. I’m not sure why… but they didn’t let me see her much. Unfortunately, the priests believed me to be their “Bodanya,” which means savior. It was very difficult for me to accept as a child. I just wanted to be a normal boy. If I’m honest, I had a strange, gilded childhood. However, I was given a lot of love and attention from Meddhi-Lan, and from my secondary teacher, Pei, who was like an older brother. I had a wonderful dog-like pet named Duna too. I have fond memories of my childhood, despite its abnormality.

Did you have any favourite toys as a child? Any cherished memories?

I was mostly forced to study, especially meditation, since I was expected to understand the “paradox” of the universe. But I did receive a wonderful birthday gift when I was seven. It was a blue-colored toy boat, and I loved it so very much. I believed it could fly, and I would one day fly in it to the heavens where I would meet all the Gods in the old myths. Continue reading “Ayn (of Shiva XIV by Lyra Shanti)” →

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