A well of pain exploded across Tejeda’s chest as he fell onto the sand. He got to the other side. A familiar crimson sun hung high above his head, bringing back lost, unwanted memories. The air was so hot that it was barely breathable.Dunes extended as far as the eye could reach. Blazing heat blanketed a desolate wilderness. He stood up and brushed the fine sand off his clothing. It adhered to the tips of his fingers and hair strands as he wiped his face, his tearful eyes piercing through to the horizon. Everything felt incredibly familiar. This was a replica of his homeworld.The humming of an engine disrupted the silence. Finally, something Tejeda wasn’t familiar with appeared. He crawled on all fours to the top of a dune. Watching in the distance, with a hand above his eyes to protect his sight, his heart sank. This was a case of deja vu. Now he was back in that moment, a twisted, pain-wracked form, writhing and gibbering like a shaken child with a feve

The red giant clawed at E00 as a solar flare whizzed by. He needed to thank Hanga for the new sheet of paneling that protected his fuselage from the extreme heat. The sub-light engines stuttered as his hull moved onward, snared by the stellar pull as the disintegrating star drew him closer. Several agonizing SDMU (spatial distance measurement units) later, he released the drone.E00 had to thank Hanga for this as well. Developing a drone with a magnetic field strong enough to retain the energy beings inside of it was no easy task. Such a device would allow them to protect the Space Spoon and maintain energy life forms until they reached the drop-off location. Getting too close to the Sun was dangerous for any spaceship.Releasing the cord one unit at a time, E00 could feel the others like him. Feeding on a Sun was the dream for every Psionic Transcendent. But the moment when a red giant burns all of its fuel, and there is no more pressure to keep gravity pushing toward

Dressed in one of her favorite dresses, Shayla danced on a checkered floor. Men and women crowded the stage as she glided upon it. Even though the top of her head barely reached their waists, little Shayla touched the targeted areas for quick, painless kills. Holding the folds of her garment with one hand, she slashed and dashed between the dancers with a dagger in the other. Only when she was the last one standing did she stop.Looking upon the carnage she had painted, little Shayla smiled."Great performance, sweety." Her father drew closer, applauding. "Your show has been perfect lately."Her smile widened at her father’s praise. Nothing made her happier than these rare moments when she had all his attention on her. She blushed, her cheeks now as red as her garment woven with golden threads and shiny ruffles."In the last month, I've gotten perfect scores on every simulation." She beamed at her father. "Would it be possible to reset the computer

Hanga loved the smell of oil and burnt metal wafting through the air in the morning. He was humming a strange song about dark matter that somehow remained stuck inside his mind even though he couldn’t remember where he had heard it or what its name was.Maybe the humming helped him cope with happiness, an unfamiliar feeling for him. He had Maya and some working self-sufficient droids. The guilt of trading Carmen’s scrapes for the formula and that unique metallic alloy dissipated a long time ago, right when he had realized the deal was worth it.He didn't have to turn around to notice Maya had entered the room. Her scent was a combination of persimmon and Valerian jasmine. The perfume reminded him of the Rala River on a hot summer day. He enjoyed its freshness even though he was not much of an outdoors person.Maya gave a whiff. His workplace reeked of neglect and oppressive clutter.“We need to talk.” Her voice had a sing-song qual

“What’s going on here?” Tejeda asked. He and Shayla entered, probably after they finished the meal he so much craved for. The hangar bay, which was usually empty aside from Hanga’s workbench, now contained the drone holding the Transcendents, and the crew. Cato was the only one who didn't flinch at the question. “I… I can’t get Cato out of her memories.” E00 sounded exhausted as if he didn’t have enough energy to try again. “I’ve tried everything.” He gave up a sigh. Cato was the last of the Space Spoon's crew still blocked in the past, the gift Memory Bliss had bestowed upon them. “E00, can you bridge our minds and let me inside hers?” Tejeda drew closer to Cato, tilting his head as he watched over her. “I can project your consciousness inside hers. How strong you’ll be there is only up to you.” Tejeda had enough of this situation and the Transcendents. He rolled his eyes and puffed. “I say tomayto, you say tomahto. A simple yes would