A deleted scene from the short story “This Alien Sympathy” (after “Little Setira” and before Rights of Use, Project Black Book Volume 1). Setira’s mother was asked to retire when Setira reached 708, after she wed but before she bore…
A deleted scene from the short story “This Alien Sympathy” (before Rights of Use, Project Black Book Volume 1). This warm-up scene was the bridge between the original idea and the story of how Setira got involved with the Gertewet. Originally, I was seeking only to explore more about the Kemtewet health care for human colonies, but that quickly turned into a “kill all the characters!” story.
How weird is it to experience another intellect? There’s nothing like it. It’s confusing, it’s busy and chaotic and overwhelming. There’s confusion, revulsion, denial, anger. There’s a drive to escape or strike out, but you can’t. It’s under your skin. You can’t run from it, and you can’t hurt it. It just is. It has to be.