Science Fiction: Welcome to my Worlds

outside, but he’d bet it was fast enough to do the job and almost certain not to have a back-talking A.I. nanny. It would do.

The ship identification code was smaller than usual and Nate had to walk halfway around the ship to locate it. He spoke into the voice receptor beside the airlock, “Ship Anon One open airlock for boarding. Authorization Silverstone Alpha Three.

A crisp robotic voice replied. “Voice print verified. Prepare for retinal scan.”

Nate was so startled he blinked as the low power laser beam probed his eye, causing an error beep that made him jump. Even his personal ship didn’t bother with that level of security. The hatch slid open and his flaring nostrils caught the scent of stale air with a faint whiff of a trace of ammonia. But the revealed view of the inside of the nondescript ship left him entirely speechless. It was far from average and gleaming new. Some of the equipment he didn’t even recognize. This was no freighter or even a normal corporate vessel.

“What is this ship?”

“Designation: Anon One.”

“I know that. What is it used for?”

“Present authorization.”


Knowing DVD