Infinite Stars

by Bryan Thomas Schmidt

  She drew another deep breath, her lips trembling.

  “I never asked you about this, but I’ve always known, Kevin. I’ve known you’re a hell of a lot more than just an ex-Marine who runs a dojo. I’m not going to ask you for any names, but I want in.”

  Silence shimmered between them for a long, long time. Then, finally—

  “Are you positive about that?” he asked her softly, not even pretending to misunderstand her. “I think I do want to read that declaration of yours, because it sounds like the folks who wrote it really understood. But are you sure you do? What you did today you did at least partly in self-defense but also in vengeance. Personal, white-hot, hating vengeance, Eloise. I’m not condemning you for a heartbeat for doing that,” he continued as she started to stiffen. “God knows if I’d been able to get to the bastards who killed Estelle, I’d’ve done worse than you did. They’d have taken a hell of a lot longer dying, Eloise.

  “But my point is that what… the people you’re asking to join do, they don’t do in a white-hot heat.” He held her eyes very seriously. “Oh, some of them do. Some of them are always white hot, although I try to stay as far from people like that as I can, and all of us are as inspired by anger as we are by any actual sense of principle. But when it comes down to it, when somebody dies—if we do it right—it’s cold and it’s calculated. It may be hate that helps carry us, but it’s a cold hate, Eloise. It’s cold, and it’s bitter, and it’s its own kind of poison, and in time, it… leaves a mark. Are you sure you really want to add that to what you’re already carrying around after today?”

  “Yes,” she said softly. “I couldn’t save Estelle. I know that. But I can still give her something. I can give back the Republic of Haven in her name and the names of everyone else it’s killed. I can drive a stake through the heart of this monster, and every time I hammer that stake a little deeper, I’ll remember Estelle. I’ll remember my sister, and I will destroy the People’s Republic.

  “I don’t have any fortunes, Kevin. And I don’t know how much of a life I have anymore. Right this minute, it doesn’t feel like all that much or all that important. But I still have this. I have the right to choose, the right to say this is where it stops, the right to fight—and the right to by God die, if that’s what it takes—for what I know is right. And that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

  “Just the same to you, Eloise,” he said with a flickering smile, “I’d like for both of us to avoid the dying part. Can’t exactly rebuild anything if we’re not around when the rebuilding starts, can we?”

  “No. And I didn’t say I wanted to die. But if that’s what it takes?” Her eyes bored into his, and her voice was soft. “If that’s what it takes, then so be it.”

  “All right,” he said after another long moment. “All right. What was that you said after lives and fortunes?”

  “Honor. Our sacred honor,” she replied, and he nodded.

  “Our sacred honor, then,” he repeated. “Yours and mine, Eloise. However long it takes.”

  He held out his hand.

  She took it.

  EDITOR BIOGRAPHY

  BRYAN THOMAS SCHMIDT is a Hugo-nominated editor and author. His anthologies include Shattered Shields with Jennifer Brozek, Mission: Tomorrow, Galactic Games, Little Green Men-Attack! With Robin Wayne Bailey, Joe Ledger: Unstoppable with Jonathan Maberry, Monster Hunter Files with Larry Correia, Infinite Stars, and Predator: If It Bleeds. His debut novel, The Worker Prince, achieved Honorable Mention on Barnes and Noble’s Year’s Best SF of 2011. It was followed by two sequels in the Saga of Davi Rhii space opera trilogy. His short fiction includes stories in anthologies for The X-Files, Predator, Larry Correia’s Monster Hunter International, Joe Ledger, and Decipher’s WARS. He also edited The Martian by Andy Weir, among other novels. His work has been published by St. Martin’s, Titan Books, Baen Books, and more. He lives in Ottawa, KS. Find him online as BryanThomasS at both Twitter and Facebook or via his website and blog at www.bryanthomasschmidt.net.

  AUTHOR BIOGRAPHIES

  ROBERT SILVERBERG is rightly considered by many as one of the greatest living science fiction writers. His career stretches back to the pulps and his output is amazing by any standards. He’s authored numerous novels, short stories, and nonfiction books in various genres and categories. He’s also a frequent guest at Cons and a regular columnist for Asimov’s. His major works include Dying Inside, The Book of Skulls, The Alien Years, The World Inside, Nightfall with Isaac Asimov, Son of Man, A Time of Changes, and the seven Majipoor Cycle books. His first Majipoor trilogy, Lord Valentine’s Castle, Majipoor Chronicles, and Valentine Pontifex, were reissued by ROC Books in May 2012, September 2012, and January 2013. Tales of Majipoor, a new collection bringing together all the short Majipoor tales, followed in May 2013.

  ORSON SCOTT CARD is the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of the novels Ender’s Game, Ender’s Shadow, and Speaker for the Dead, which are widely read by adults and younger readers, and are increasingly used in schools. His most recent series, the young adult Pathfinder series (Pathfinder, Ruins, Visitors) and the fantasy Mithermages series (Lost Gate, Gate Thief) are taking readers in new directions. Besides these and other science fiction novels, Card writes contemporary fantasy (Magic Street, Enchantment, Lost Boys), biblical novels (Stone Tables, Rachel and Leah), the American frontier fantasy series, The Tales of Alvin Maker (beginning with Seventh Son), poetry (An Open Book), and many plays and scripts. His latest novel, Children of The Fleet, in an all new series Fleet School, releases from TOR in Fall 2017.

  Card currently lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, with his wife, Kristine Allen Card, where his primary activities are writing a review column for the local Rhinoceros Times and feeding birds, squirrels, chipmunks, possums, and raccoons on the patio.

  The author of multiple New York Times bestsellers, BRIAN HERBERT has won several literary honors including the New York Times Notable Book Award, and has been nominated for the highest awards in science fiction. Dreamer of Dune, his moving biography of Frank Herbert, was a Hugo Award finalist. Brian’s acclaimed novels include Sidney’s Comet; Sudanna Sudanna; The Race for God; the Timeweb trilogy; The Stolen Gospels; and Man of Two Worlds (written with his father, Frank Herbert), as well as the epic fantasy, Ocean, and The Little Green Book of Chairman Rahma, in addition to the Hellhole trilogy and thirteen Dune series novels co-authored with Kevin J. Anderson.

  In addition to his writing projects, Brian is also president of the company holding all of the Dune-series copyrights. In that capacity he recently signed a film deal with Legendary Pictures, and will serve as an Executive Producer and Creative Adviser on future motion picture and television projects.

  KEVIN J. ANDERSON is the author of 140 novels, fifty-five of which have appeared on national or international bestseller lists; he has over twenty-three million books in print in thirty languages. Anderson has co-authored fourteen books in the Dune series with Brian Herbert; he and Herbert have also written an original SF trilogy, Hellhole. Anderson’s popular epic space opera series, The Saga of Seven Suns, as well as its sequel trilogy, The Saga of Shadows, are among his most ambitious works. He has also written a sweeping fantasy trilogy, Terra Incognita, accompanied by two rock CDs (which he wrote and produced). He has written two steampunk novels, Clockwork Angels and Clockwork Lives, with legendary Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart. He also created the popular humorous horror series featuring Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I., and has written eight high-tech thrillers with Colonel Doug Beason. He holds a physics/astronomy degree and is now the publisher of Colorado-based WordFire Press.

  New York Times bestselling author WILLIAM C. DIETZ has published more than fifty novels—some of which have been translated into German, French, Russian, Korean, and Japanese. Dietz also wrote the script for the Legion of the Damned game (for iOS) based on his book of the same name—and co-wrote SONY’s Resistance: Burning Skies game for the PS Vita.

  He grew up in the Seattle
area, spent time with the Navy and Marine Corps as a medic, graduated from the University of Washington, lived in Africa for half a year, and has traveled to six continents. He has been employed as a surgical technician, college instructor, news writer, television producer, and Director of Public Relations and Marketing for an international telephone company. He and his wife live near Gig Harbor, in Washington State—where they enjoy traveling, kayaking, and reading books. For more about William C. Dietz and his fiction please visit williamcdietz.com or find him on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/williamcdietz and Twitter as William C. Dietz @wcdietz.

  Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger (CORDWAINER SMITH), 1913–1966, had a Ph.D. in Political Science from Johns Hopkins University and spoke six languages. He spent the better part of his childhood in China and also served there in the US Army Intelligence Service during World War II. His book Psychological Warfare is still well regarded in its field. He was a Professor of Asiatic Politics at Johns Hopkins for many years and a leading member of the America Foreign Policy Association as well as being an advisor to President John F. Kennedy.

  He published his first science fiction story at age fifteen and wrote novels under two pseudonyms. His first Cordwainer Smith story, “Scanners Live in Vain,” appeared in 1950 and made his reputation. His entire science fiction output fills only four books, but “The Game of Rat and Dragon” is considered one of his finest, a classic of the field.

  LOIS McMASTER BUJOLD was born in 1949, the daughter of an engineering professor at Ohio State University, from whom she picked up her early interest in science fiction. She now lives in Minneapolis, and has two grown children. She began writing with the aim of professional publication in 1982. She wrote three novels in three years; in October of 1985, all three sold to Baen Books, launching her career. Bujold went on to write many other books for Baen, mostly featuring her popular character Miles Naismith Vorkosigan, his family, friends, and enemies. Her fantasy from HarperCollins includes the award-winning Chalion series and the Sharing Knife series. More recently she has been exploring self-e-publishing with the novella-length tales of the sorcerer Penric in the World of the Five Gods.

  Ten times nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel, she has won in that category four times, in addition to garnering another Hugo for best novella, three Nebula Awards, three Locus Awards, the Mythopoeic Award, two Sapphire Awards, the Minnesota Book Award, the Forry Award, and the Skylark Award. In 2007, she was given the Ohioana Career Award, and in 2008 was Writer Guest-of-Honor for the 66th World Science Fiction Convention. A complete list may be found here: http://www.sfadb.com/Lois_McMaster_Bujold. Her works have been translated into over twenty languages. More information on Bujold and her books is archived at www.dendarii.com and her blog at www.goodreads.com/author/show/16094.Lois_McMaster_Bujold/blog.

  ELIZABETH MOON, a Texas native, is a Marine Corps veteran (Viet Nam era) with degrees in history (Rice University) and biology (University of Texas.) She has published twenty-seven novels in both science fiction and epic fantasy, including Sheepfarmer’s Daughter (Compton Crook Award winner, first volume of The Deed of Paksenarrion), Hugo-nominated Remnant Population, and Nebula Award winner The Speed of Dark, as well as three short-fiction collections, including Moon Flights (2007) and Deeds of Honor, ebook and POD (2014). She received the Heinlein Award for body of work in 2007. Over forty short works have appeared in anthologies and magazines. Her latest novel is Cold Welcome, a return to the Vatta universe (April 2017) and she is nearing completion of its sequel, Into the Fire. This story fits between Victory Conditions (Vatta’s War 5) and Cold Welcome (Vatta’s Peace 1). Moon lives in Central Texas with her husband, and spends nonwriting time cooking, knitting socks, photographing native plants and animals, and singing in a choir.

  DAVE BARA was born at the dawn of the space age and grew up watching the Gemini and Apollo space programs on television, dreaming of becoming an astronaut one day. This soon led him to an interest in science fiction on TV, in film, and in books. Dave’s writing is influenced by the many classic SF novels he has read over the years from SF authors like Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and Frank Herbert, among many others.

  CATHERINE ASARO is an author of science fiction, fantasy, and thrillers, and has written over twenty-five novels, as well as short stories and nonfiction. Her acclaimed Ruby Dynasty series combines adventure, hard science, math, romance, and fast-paced action. Among her numerous distinctions, she has won the Nebula and Analog Reader’s Choice awards. Her most recent books are the novels Undercity (Baen/Simon & Schuster) and Lightning Strike, Book I (Spectrum). A collection of several of her Ruby Dynasty short stories is available in the limited release anthology titled Aurora in Four Voices (ISFiC Press). All her novels are available in audio form. Her book The Bronze Skies (a Skolian Empire/Major Bhaajan book) will be released from Baen in 2017.

  Catherine earned her doctorate in theoretical chemical physics from Harvard. She has coached numerous math teams and currently directs the Chesapeake Math Program, and she is known for her advocacy in bringing girls and women into STEM fields. Her students have won top honors in many competitions, including the USA Mathematical Olympiad and the USA Mathematical Talent Search. An invited speaker at various institutions, including the National Academy of Sciences, Harvard, Georgetown, NASA, the New Zealand Context Writer’s program, and the US Naval Academy, she is a member of SIGMA, a think tank of speculative writers that advises the government on future trends affecting national security. She also appears as a speaker and vocalist at cons, clubs, and other venues in the US and abroad, including as the Guest of Honor at the Denmark and New Zealand National Science Fiction Conventions. You can chat with her at www.facebook.com/Catherine.Asaro, twitter.com/Catherine_Asaro, and Google+.

  NNEDI OKORAFOR’s books include Lagoon (a British Science Fiction Association Award finalist for Best Novel), Who Fears Death (a World Fantasy Award winner for Best Novel), Kabu Kabu (a Publisher’s Weekly Best Book for Fall 2013), Akata Witch (an Amazon.com Best Book of the Year), Zahrah the Windseeker (winner of the Wole Soyinka Prize for African Literature), and The Shadow Speaker (a CBS Parallax Award winner). Her adult novel The Book of Phoenix (prequel to Who Fears Death) was released in May 2015; the New York Times called it a “triumph.” Her novella Binti was released in late September 2015 and won both the Hugo Award and the Nebula and her young adult novel Akata Witch 2: Breaking Kola released in 2016. Nnedi holds a Ph.D. in literature/creative writing and is an associate professor at the University at Buffalo, New York (SUNY). She splits her time between Buffalo and Chicago with her daughter Anyaugo and family. Learn more about Nnedi at Nnedi.com.

  JERRY EUGENE POURNELLE is an American science fiction writer, essayist, and journalist and also a polymath, with degrees in statistics, systems engineering, psychology, and political science. He started writing non-science fiction work under the pseudonym of Wade Curtis or J.E. Pournelle. His stories always display a strong military theme and depict the progress of the people as dependent upon the advancement in technology. Usually certain complicated social issues, arising from the technology, are dealt with through politically incorrect ways. He is also popular for the various “laws” that he published in his books, the most famous being his Iron Law of Bureaucracy.

  As a journalist, he earned recognition in the computer industry for his monthly columns in Byte magazine, the industry’s first and the longest-running monthly column, running for a period of over twenty years. After the termination of his contract he moved the column to his own website.

  He attained great fame and recognition for the books he co-wrote with Larry Niven. Their 1985 novel Footfall reached the No. 1 spot on the New York Times Best Seller List and Lucifer’s Hammer (1977) reached No. 2 on the same list. Another of their novels, The Mote in God’s Eye, was a huge success as was the sequel The Gripping Hand. Pournelle won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in 1973. In 1992, his book Fallen Angels got him the Prometheus Award and he became the co-recipient of th
e Heinlein Society Award with author-friend Larry Niven in 2005. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the British Interplanetary Society, the Royal Astronomical Society and the Operations Research Society of America. Other important works include King David’s Spaceship.

  LARRY NIVEN graduated Washburn University in Kansas in June 1962 with a B.A. in Mathematics with a Minor in Psychology. His first published story, “The Coldest Place,” appeared in the December 1964 issue of Worlds of If. He went on to win Hugo Awards for “Neutron Star,” 1966; Ringworld, 1970; “Inconstant Moon,” 1971; “The Hole Man,” 1974; and “The Borderland of Sol,” 1975. And a Nebula for Best Novel: Ringworld, in 1970.

  His latest novels include collaborations: Inferno II: Escape From Hell with Jerry Pournelle, The Bowl Of Heaven with Gregory Benford, The Moon Maze Game with Steven Barnes, Shipstar with Gregory Benford. And forthcoming: The Seascape Tattoo with Steven Barnes.

  JEAN JOHNSON currently has twenty-five books published, including two collections, and a plethora of short stories, with more on the way. Her specialty lies in epic multi-novel series, but she does enjoy writing for anthologies.

  Currently, Jean lives and works in the Pacific Northwest, sharing her home with a cranky cat, cousins, and her computer. She hopes you’ll enjoy her portion of the Infinite Stars menu, and if you’d like to chat with her, she can be found at www.JeanJohnson.net, on Twitter @JeanJAuthor, on Facebook at Fans of Author Jean Johnson, or at JeanJAuthor.Tumblr.com. (The usual disclaimer: the publisher, et al, are not affilliated with nor responsible for any of these websites. Travel the internet with common sense safety in mind, please.)