QSFer Gina A. Pond has a new queer sci-fi book out, Survey book 4: Consortium.
What if first contact happened, and nobody even noticed?
Light-years away, years ago, something insignificant happened.
Now, the spirits are restless.
Loki has returned, seeking help for his people. Entire stations are being consumed, populations lost. No one understands why, and the threat continues to spread.
Can Jack, Marsha and teenager Po carry the weight of saving Loki’s civilisation?
This time, it may break them all.
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Excerpt
Recording of Bridge Activity
Unity Fleet Ship Jemison
UT 73891
Library Record Number: L589
Logged UT 73901—Possible Survey Ship Loki Sighting
Transcript Created UT 73902
Ensign: Captain, I have a blip just on the edge of our sensor range.
Captain: A blip?
Ensign: Yes, sir. Something suddenly appeared. It’s’ just sitting there.
Lieutenant: Confirmed, sir. The image isn’t great, but it could be a ship.
Captain: No guesses, Lieutenant.
[Proximity Alarm]
[General Exclamations of Surprise—Large ship appears on screen.]
Captain: Will someone tell me what the fuck just jumped in front of us?
Ensign: Holy shit!
Captain: Not helpful, Ensign.
Ensign: Sorry, sir, but that’s a Survey ship! It’s not on the current list of recognized ships, though.
Captain: Survey? What are they doing on this side of the galaxy? I thought they usually stuck to
the areas around Survey and Unity inhabited space? Any reply to standard hails?
Lieutenant: No sir, they’re not answering comms.
[Flickering of lights on bridge.]
Captain: Lieutenant, what’s happening to my ship?
Lieutenant: The Survey ship has taken control of the ship’s computer core. It looks like they’re downloading our historical data. As best I can tell they’re not touching anything else.
Captain: That’s not normal. Survey folks usually say hello.
Ensign 2: I wonder…
Captain: What is it, Collins?
Ensign 2: Well, sir, my girlfriend has a cousin in Survey, and they told us they heard a rumor
about a seventh capital ship called Loki. The rumor says that something happened and it disappeared to the edge of the galaxy. What if this is Loki?
Captain: Interesting. But I doubt this is—
[Lights stop flickering. Screen lights up. Flowers.and smiley faces appear, along with the words “Thank You” in large bright orange block letters.]
Ensign: Sir, the ship is gone!
Lieutenant: Well, you don’t see that every day.
Captain: No, you don’t, and we don’t have the remit to investigate. Madison, collate the sensor
data and the logs and get it on a picket to Unity Hub. I’ll let the folks in UI handle this one, and if they want to jump a ship out this far, they can investigate all they want.
Lieutenant: Yes, sir. Picket away.
Captain: Right, so where did the scientists want to go next?
Author Bio
Rev. Gina A. Pond is a writer, an ordained Christian pastor, and Wiccan priest. She currently lives in Switzerland with her Wife, likes to cook, weave and spin yarn, game a bit, has many fountain pens, and is a gadget geek.
| Author Website | http://revginapond.net |