2092

The Chronos Files

by Rysa Walker

This short story, which appeared originally in Dark Beyond the Stars: A Space Opera Anthology, answers the question that Katherine never would: What really happened in 2092? 

The Elisi Alliance is facing defeat in its struggle against the Lor, when Mila, an Elisi requisitions scout, uncovers evidence of a time-altering technology that could reverse the course of the war. The device is on XE7, a small planet Mila fears will be destroyed if pulled into the conflict. Can she retrieve the technology without sacrificing XE7?

Genres: Time Travel, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Short Stories, Fantasy, Space

48 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 18, 2016

About the author

RYSA WALKER is the author of the bestselling CHRONOS Files series. Timebound, the first book in the series, was the Young Adult and Grand Prize winner in the 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards. The CHRONOS Files has sold nearly half a million copies since 2013 and has been translated into fourteen languages.

In addition to speculative fiction, she occasionally writes mysteries as C. Rysa Walker.

Rysa currently resides in North Carolina with her husband, two youngest sons, and a hyperactive golden retriever. When not working on the next installment in her CHRONOS Files universe, she watches shows where travelers boldly go to galaxies far away, or reads about magical creatures and superheroes from alternate timelines. She has neither the time nor the patience for reality TV.

If you see her on social media, please tell her to get back into the writing cave.

For updates, check her website: www.rysa.com.

Reviews

[Karen’s Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aha, so that's what happens in 2092 that Katherine never wants to talk about. I hope it's expanded on some day because it's fascinating and I'd like to know what happens next!

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

In her "official chronology" -- i.e., a list of the Chronos books in the order she recommends reading them, this short story comes in third: after Timebound and Splinter, but before Time's Edge. My question is why? It is a science fiction short story in the same universe, but perhaps not the same timeline. It may (or may not) explain why Katherine will not discuss what happens in 2092 (and it's a good explanation), but stops short of definitive answers -- mostly because it is told from an extraterrestrial POV that is itself time-scrambled. So, the reader is left with some very big, but unanswered questions.

This is not a problem, but does allow the reader to spin off their own theories of what happened and how it intersects with the Chronos Files timeline(s). It definitely succeeds as a science fiction story, though I'm not sure what it might mean to someone unversed in the Chronos sequence.

[Joe Pranaitis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Rysa Walker brings us another tale in her Chronos files saga. This one focuses on an alien who is observing Earth or to her it's XE7 when she detects a chronotion use. She then takes her time and asks her holo version of her dead lover what he things but she is ordered to go with phase 3. Which means she sends drones down and simulate an attack by the Lor, her peoples enemies. Once she takes her shuttle under cloak down to the surface she is greeted by Mathis who explains that he can use a Chronos key to jump through time. She sees this as a way to end the war with the Lor that they're currently fighting and to save her lost love above all. Mathis agrees to go with her back to her outpost and then finally back their their homeworld where he makes a temporal jump. This is a great short story and I highly recommend this entire series for time-travel science fiction fans.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the Time Travel Chronos File series. I expected this one to somewhat continue the story but it is really just another story from another time. I had a hard time getting into this one. I was just reading words on a page.....no connection to the story at the beginning. I was about 40% into it before I could understand the situation the character was in. There are no characters from the previous Chronos Files series. I finished the book and now will go back to read the beginning again. I would say I could have passed on this one.

[Titan_Tine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Haven't understood for sure what the ending of the short story meant. I have an idea but cannot be sure because the book ended just then. I think it explains that the time travelling technology got into the hands of one party at the beginning of a war. But it is not clear so the reader cannot fully understand what was the point Katherine didn't want to talk about.

[Ashleigh P · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this short story the most out of all the other spin off shorts I have read from this series. It offers a very different perspective and totally different story.

If you liked the other Timebound books, this one is VERY short and worth the read!

[Marisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved most of it

Of the other short stories I've read in this series I loved this one the most, but I didn't love the ending. I'm not sure I totally follow what happened? Still, I loved the journey.

[Allen McDonnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little post script

This short story is more of a post script to the original series than anything else, with all new characters and scenarios. Fun, but not crucial for fans of the series itself.

[Wanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the other books in this series

This book should have been left out of this series. If not for the key, it would have been totally unrelated. Since much of it doesn't even take place on Earth it barely even counts as a time travel story.

[Tony Drummond · Rating 3 out of 5]

This tries to answer the question "What did happen in 2092?" but actually leaves more questions than it answers. I never would have guessed what started the 2092 events so this was a good surprise but felt perhaps a longer story would have helped.

[chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just love Rysa Walker

Love all she writes. Did not give her 5 stars only because I like the other Chronos books a little more :-)

[Kaity ✿ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely NOT what I was expecting! I really like all the short stories, but I miss Kate's viewpoint when reading them. Still, I'm glad I finally know what happens in 2092!

[RaeAnn McCardell · Rating 2 out of 5]

What just happened?

Maybe it's just me but I have very little idea what just happened in this story.
Another chapter would have helped.

[TerryLovesToListen Ware · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah! So now we know about 2092! I hope there is more Chronos to come!

[Darlene Klapper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really connected to the other Chronos books.

[Jenifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this was set in the Chronos universe it didn't have any characters that we knew of from the other stories. It also didn't fully explain what happened in 2092. It showed what might have happened had someone not gone back and changed the timeline, but it never said that it for sure happened. I think that if Katherine, Simon or Saul could have been the interceptor in this case that it might have been a bit more interesting of a story.

[Emily M. McGuirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short story

I love the CHRONOS series, and I was interested to find out what happened in 2092 since it was mentioned several times. This story was a great twist and something I wasn't really expecting. Time travel headaches.

[Tina Pegar · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story but not quite sure where it goes with the rest of the universe. maybe a sign of what's to come.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. Doesn't really answer my questions about what happened in 2092.

[David Blaylock · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weird alien tale that did not seem to fit the rest of the series.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story...

But I wasn’t too impressed by the ending. Story about aliens gaining access to one of the CHRONOS keys and trying to stop a war by getting a human time traveler.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is totally not what I expected the 2092 incident to be. I mean, I knew it was some sort of war. But I didn't think it would involve aliens. It just seems completely separate from the other CHRONOS stories. I did like it though. It helped that there was an emotional side to it, with Mila, Ryn and Matias.

Poor Matias though! If only they'd had a bit more time to think it through, maybe they'd have thought of a better way for him to approach her.

I'm still not 100% sure how it ended though. Did the government get his message and just not share it with Mila? Seeing as how they were winning the war in the end and Ryn was alive. Or was her seeing the chronotron pulse at the end a sign that they'd meet Matias again? I don't know if was meant to be unclear or if I'm just missing the meaning of the ending.