A Half-Built Garden

by Ruthanna Emrys

“Techies are the same everywhere,” she said. “Swear a hole straight through you if you catch them in the middle of a bug.”

“If you can’t ask questions, you can’t learn,”

Our destiny is in the stars, even if we have to launch from the ashes of a world.

“I wish you could see our fireworks,” said Glycine. “They’re spectacular, big enough to watch from dozens of habitats at once.” Dinar laughed. “Beautiful explosions must be a universal art form.” Rhamnetin shrugged, bobbing on his chairs. “Fire is the first step toward technology. Who wouldn’t make art with it?”