SEEDs of the Inside Straight

By Caroline Misner

In the year 2140, on the red planet Mars, a bold project is underway. The Tyson Research and Space Corporation has assembled teams to embark on a groundbreaking mission: launching spacecraft towards our solar system’s nearest stars. Their flagship vessel, the Inside Straight, is set to venture towards nearby Gliese, with the hope of establishing first contact with extraterrestrial life.

But the journey is far from ordinary. Onboard the Inside Straight are two Sentient Exoplanetary Exploration Devises, or SEEDs, named Luna Splendida and Sol Lucet. These androids possess functioning human brains, harvested from the International Cryobiosis Laboratories on Earth. As they hurtle through the vast expanses of space, they recall the memories of their past lives, slowly realizing the true essence of humanity.

Join Luna and Sol on their epic voyage, as they grapple with existential questions and unravel the mysteries of the universe. Will they achieve their mission and make history, or will their quest for knowledge lead them down an uncertain path? Find out in this gripping sci-fi adventure that explores what it means to be alive, and what it takes to reach for the stars.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Apr 26, 2024
• ISBN: 9781685622947

Book preview

About the Author

Caroline Misner is a Czech born writer living in the picturesque Haliburton Highlands of central Ontario, Canada. She is the author of the Daughters of Eldox series as well as numerous short stories, poems and personal essays which have been published throughout the world and perhaps beyond.

Dedication

To my friend, Dave Adams, who first planted the seed

of this story.

Copyright Information ©

Caroline Misner 2024

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Ordering Information

Quantity sales: Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address below.

Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data

Misner, Caroline

SEEDs of the Inside Straight

ISBN 9781685622930 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781685622947 (ePub e-book)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023911917

www.austinmacauley.com/us

First Published 2024

Austin Macauley Publishers LLC

40 Wall Street, 33rd Floor, Suite 3302

New York, NY 10005

USA

[e-mail]

[phone]

Chapter 1

Something about the Martian sun always seemed off whenever Nathan viewed it through the glass of the GeoDome. Especially when one of the air filters failed and the dome filled with a pinkish-grey fog that hovered at the top, leaving the heavier particles to be breathed in at the surface. Nathan could taste the silt on his lips, feel it scratch the corners of his eyes. He covered his mouth with the collar of his coat so he could breathe better as he trekked through the streets. It was still early and the streets were near empty. The few people he passed donned filter masks over their mouths and noses, making them look like giant insects in the murky light. They moved in and out of his field of vision, vague outlines that solidified and faded like ghosts. Flashing billboards and shop signs glowed softly; the sign above the ESSO repowering station flickered as though struggling for life and he found it ironic that it would be the first to lose power if the techs couldn’t repair the filters in time.

Nathan cursed himself for losing his mask in a card game three days ago. He’d been on a winning streak and became cocky, thinking he could bluff with an inside straight, but losing everything to Seth’s royal flush. He expressed his grievances to the android at Starbucks when he ordered his customary extra-large latte. The android offered its manufactured sympathy before passing on to the next customer. Nathan hunched over his coffee, and with his head down against the gritty air, headed toward the hub of the dome, the Tyson Research and Space Headquarters—TRASH; to those like Nathan who worked there.

It felt so good to breathe properly again. Nathan dusted the grit from his hair and coat as he stepped into the foyer and gulped in the clear filtered air. The building was a patchwork of rooms and laboratories assembled together whenever various projects were introduced. Corridors radiated from the reception area and it was easy for the uninitiated to become lost. No wonder they called it the TRASH building. Molly, the android receptionist, stood smiling on her podium to greet the few visitors that came through the door. She had been used for a project years ago but the project leader had fallen in love with her and didn’t have to heart to sell or discard her when the project ended—something that had become alarmingly common in the isolation of the colony. The project leader begged, cajoled or bribed the company CEO to let him keep her, so Molly was stationed in the front foyer in the superfluous role of a receptionist. Nathan thought the guy was weak.

Good morning, Dr. Mansfield, Molly said. She was stunningly beautiful, almost flawless, which was a dead giveaway that she was not a real woman.

Nathan grunted and leveled his eyes to Molly’s so she could scan his retina for security clearance.

Dr. Cumbers is in the lab awaiting you, Molly continued. Dr. Reese is in the lady’s room and will be joining you shortly.

She finally made it? Good. Now maybe we can get this project off the ground. We don’t have much time. Nathan said more to himself than to Molly.

Have a nice day, Molly called to his back as he headed down Corridor B to his lab.

Seth sat at the conference table with his feet up and his head back, tools and devices littered around him. He twirled Nathan’s mask around his finger by the strap, barely glancing up as Nathan shrugged out of his coat and blew dust off the lid of his coffee.

Nice of you to finally grace us with your presence, Seth said.

I’m late because of the dust, Nathan grumbled. Hope you enjoyed wearing my mask to work today.

Their lab was a mess. For two weeks, Seth and Nathan had been piecing together the final touches for the SEED Project, but the project had stalled because Angela had been delayed in bringing the cyborgs from company headquarters on Earth. Seth and Nathan had spent their time tinkering with the still unnamed spacecraft that dominated the vaulted lab and playing cards late into the night. They and Angela were the only members of Team Gliese.

One of the filters in Tunnel G is on the blink, Seth said. And this came in very handy.

No shit.

Seth yawned and stretched and said, Angela arrived last night. Finally.

So I’ve heard, Nathan said. Did she bring them?

Ask her yourself.

Angela Reese scurried out from under the spacecraft, tapping notes into her pad and scowling.

You want to put my babies in this piece of shit? she demanded.

Nathan stretched his arms and smiled.

How about a hello first? he suggested. I haven’t seen you in a while.

Hello, Angela grumbled but refused to accept Nathan’s hug. She had more important things on her mind.

How was your trip? Nathan asked.

Terrible, Angela replied. The most boring thing I’ve ever done. Nothing to do but diddle my twat for six months.

Didn’t you sleep? Seth asked.

No, the spacelines are phasing out hibernation because of all the lawsuits, Angela said. They figure it’s cheaper to keep the passengers awake and entertained for six months than to pay out these so-called victims.

Nathan nodded. The past few years had seen a tide of lawsuits against the spacelines that shuttled passengers between the earth, moon and Mars. Accusations of mental disorders, from mild depression to full blown schizophrenia, caused by suspended hibernation had forced many of them into bankruptcy. The few that still operated were not taking any more chances.

So did you bring them? Nathan asked.

I brought them. Angela hid her pride behind a smile. And, boy, are they a couple of beauties. See for yourself.

She tapped instructions into her pad and a pair of hibernation capsules rolled through the double doors from the storage hangar. The capsules were sleek and metallic and glistened like sapphires. They reminded Nathan of the ancient coffins he’d seen in museums that were used back in the days when the dead were buried. The lids of the capsules were transparent. Nathan and Seth peered in to see the cyborgs sealed inside.

The female was perfectly formed with pale skin that glowed blue beneath the capsule’s interior light. Her body was unadorned; no hair, no lashes, no creases in the skin or blemishes that would mistake her for a real human. The male was similarly perfect, broad shouldered and hairless, as though awaiting a sculptor to finish him off. Both their eyes were closed and they bore expressions of supreme serenity.

Impressive, Nathan agreed.

They’re one of the first sentient exoplanet exploration devices to be built, Angela said. Their bodies may be manufactured but their brains and brain stems are pure organic human.

Lift them up, Nathan said. Let’s see how they look.

Stand back. Angela tapped more instructions into her pad. The two capsules slowly lifted like a pair of rising monoliths until they stood upright.

Seth raised his arms in triumph and dropped to his knees, maniacally screaming to the ceiling, It’s alive! It’s alive!

Angela and Nathan exchanged puzzled glances.

Just what do you think you’re doing? she demanded.

Seth looked at them as though they were daft.

"Am I the only one here who’s seen Frankenstein?" he asked.

I’m not into ancient history, Angela said. Now quit kidding around. We’ve got a lot of work to do if we want to make launch.

Nathan peered at the faces behind the window.

So who were they? he asked.

Their real names are confidential, Angela explained. To protect the families. But they’re old. Both late twentieth century from central North America, their heads cryogenically frozen to protect the brains. They were donated by their descendants. The female’s family didn’t even know she existed until the company contacted them.

That’s the way, Seth replied wistfully. You live, you die, and you’re forgotten.

But these babies are going to make history. Angela grinned.

Nathan couldn’t argue with that. There were four teams involved in the SEED Project, a brazen undertaking that cost the company dearly. Each team was assigned an exoplanet to send a pair of human cyborgs to make first contact with whatever sentient race lived there. No one alive now would live to see if the project was a success.

Will they remember who they were? he asked.

Doubtful. Angela shook her head. Their memories have been rinsed by the nanobots used to preserve the brain functions. They’re clean slates waiting for chalk.

The what?

Old expression. Angela chuckled.

They’re going to need names, Seth said. And identities.

And how about some hair and fingernails, Nathan added.

No problem, Angela said. I can add all that to make them look more real. Any suggestions?

How about giving the dude a nine-inch schlong? Nathan said.

And the chick a nice big pair of double DDs. Seth laughed and he and Nathan slapped hands in a high five.

That’s not funny. Angela rolled her eyes and shook her head toward the ceiling as though beseeching some deity to strike them both.

What did they look like in their old lives? Nathan asked.

Probably not like that, Angela said.

I’d say let’s make the female a redhead, Seth said and winked at Angela. I’ve always had a thing for gingers.

But that’s rare in the human species, Angela said. We have to make them look like typical human specimens, which means they should both be brunettes, since 79% of humans are naturally dark-haired.

Should we give the male a beard? Nathan wondered. I mean, typical human males have facial hair.

But we don’t want to obscure the face. Angela chewed her lower lip in thought.

How about just a little scruff? Nathan ran a finger along his jawline where his own stubble sprouted. Just to show where the hair would grow.

I like it. Angela nodded and tapped the instructions into her control pad. Done.

Eye color should be neutral, Seth said, Light brown or hazel.

Angela held up her control pad so Seth and Nathan could see the screen display a fan of burnished shades, from the palest beige to the darkest coffee brown.

Pick a shade, any shade.

You do the honors, Nathan said to Seth. I don’t really care.

Seth patted his fingertip to a creamy chocolate shade. What next?

I’ll add some wrinkles and freckles, things like that to make them look more natural, Angela said. Then we just need to give them names.

Nathan never had to name anything or anyone before in his life, not even a pet.

I’m clueless, he confessed.

How about Adam and Eve? Seth suggested.

Not very original, Angela said. Besides, the Centauri Team already picked those names for their SEEDs.

Anthony and Cleopatra? Nathan said.

That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard, Angela said. We may as well just call them Sonny and Cher.

But it’s not a bad idea to name them after a famous historic couple, Seth said. Like Napoleon and Josephine. Or ancient gods like Zeus and Hera.

Do the names have to be human? Nathan asked.

No, they can be whatever we want, Angela