Errant Shot
by William Petersen
A meteor falls to Earth, exploding high in the atmosphere and wreaking havoc on the ground. An amateur rock hunter discovers a piece of the interstellar visitor and cashes in on the find, only to learn that it is much more than just a rock...To think that there are no other sentient beings in the universe borders on vanity.-To think that other sentient beings would be any less prone to violence and war than humans borders on naivety.-Collateral damage is a reality with any conflict.-What if there is undelivered ordinance... stray bullets... from distant, cosmic conflicts floating through space like wandering asteroids or long-period comets?-What if bystander Earth was the victim of one of these... errant shots?