Theft of Fire

If you don't know your physics, nothing about it makes sense, and if you do know your physics, everything about it makes even less sense than if you didn't.

But we're not the good guys in this story. Maybe no one is, ever. Maybe we're all just people. But maybe we don't actually need to be good people to have permission to do the right thing. Maybe we can just decide to do it.

Even if it hurts a lot, life is better than no life, because if you're not alive, then good stuff can't happen to you. Not ever again.

When you can't even crawl anymore, you pass the torch. You take that thing you believe in, and you give it to someone else to carry.

Action beats reaction every time.

Characters

• Marcus Warnoc: Main hero
  • Email: pangurban@wide-relay.net
  • Bjorn Warnoc: Father
  • Olaf Warnoc: Grand father
  • Yngvarr Víðförli: Family line
  • Elena: Wife
  • Dawa and Lynette: Kids
  • Warnoc Engineering: Company
• Dorj: His friend on video call
  • Email: drtsangmo@contract.arachne.spacex.com
• Dr. Miranda Foxgrove: Main heroine
  • Karl Foxgrove: Father

• Leela: Computer girl copy of Lilith

  • Lilith. Lilith Trentfield: Original
  • Cassie

• Erik Nyberg

• Venusian

• Sanchez

• Antonio Silva

• Sedna: “dwarf planet,” like Pluto. Trans-Neptunian sub-planetary object 90337

• Clement Ring

• Arachne

“Wow,” she says, “you fight dirty, Mister Warnoc.” “I fight to win.

Because she's mine! My ship! My home! You had no right to take her from me, no matter what you paid to who, or what contracts you signed! I built her! My father built her! You think I was just going to lie down and let you take her?

You don't, Marcus. You can make any choice you want. You just have to look in the mirror afterwards.