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Main Fiction: “Ray of Light” by Brad Torgersen
My crew boss Jake was waiting for me at the sealock door. I’d been eight hours outside, checking for microfractures in the metal hull. Tedious work, that. I’d turned my helmet communicator off so as not to be distracted. The look on Jake’s face spooked me.
“What’s happened?” I asked him, seawater dripping from the hair of my beard.
”Jenna,” was all I got in reply. Which was enough.
Brad R. Torgersen is a healthcare computer geek by day, a United States Army Reserve Chief Warrant Officer on the weekend, and a speculative fiction writer by night. Award-winning and award-nominated, he is a regular in the pages of Analog magazine, and has published numerous pieces of short fiction in other venues such as Mike Resnick’s Galaxy’s Edge magazine and Orson Scott Card’s InterGalactic Medicine Show magazine. Brad’s first novel, The Chaplain’s War, which is based on the short Analog pieces “The Chaplain’s Assisant” and “The Chaplain’s Legacy”, is currently slated for an October 2014 (Baen Books) release. Brad also has two short fiction collections: Lights in the Deep debuted in 2013, while Racers of the Night is due out in late 2014; both fromWordfire Press. Happily married for 20+ years, Brad presently lives in Utah with his wife and daughter.
Narrator: Steven Thomas Howell
After retiring from military service in 2013, Steve began pursuing an MFA in creative writing at the University of Tampa. He writes short stories, and is working on his first novel. Steve serves as a slush reader for the Tampa Review Online and as assistant editor and occasional narrator for the growing collection of genre fiction podcasts at District of Wonders. He lives in Florida with his wife, two sons, and one hyperactive dog. Visit his blog at steventhomashowell.com.
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Enjoyed this story especially as I wasn’t sure how it would end and even more so, because it was told from the point of view of the father rather than his daughter who was the person pushing the boundaries.
I agree with Stephen. The father’s perspective really worked. This gave a fascinating cast on the story’s reveal. He wasn’t the explorer, nor the rebel, but only an involved witness.
Very interesting world-building, too.
One of my favorites from the Sofa.