Must...read...m ore...

Dona Watson, FantasyAndFaith.com

Sandfly is free of the rules and free of Earth, but now there’s a new mystery
to solve.

With his female companion, HardCandy, and a secret ship named DarkTrench,
he travels across time and space to find the source and meaning of the trans-
mission that changed his life.

When they arrive in the Betelgeuse system, they discover something the for-
mer crew did not—a planet. On it lives a civilization of humanoids that are
technologically advanced, peaceful, and mystifying. Is their meeting an occur-
rence the Scriptures predicted? HardCandy thinks so. Sandfly is not so sure.

But what he most wants to know is why is he seeing things no one else can.

And where is the song that brought them here—or its singer? Where is the
Superlative Stream?

Kerry Nietz is a refugee of the software industry. He spent more

than a decade of his life flipping bits—first as one of the principal
developers of the database product FoxPro for the now mythical Fox
Software, and then as one of Bill Gates’s minions at Microsoft. He
is a husband and father, a technophile and a movie buff. He has
two previously published books: a memoir entitled FoxTales: Behind
the Scenes at Fox Software and Book 1 in the DarkTrench Saga:
A Star Curiously Singing.

Christian
Science Fiction
SUPERLATIVE
THE

STREAM

KERRY NIETZ
THE DARKTRENCH SAGA: BOOK 2
The Superlative Stream by Kerry Nietz
Published by Marcher Lord Press
8345 Pepperridge Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80920
www.marcherlordpress.com

This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photo-
copy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher,
except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

MARCHER LORD PRESS and the MARCHER LORD PRESS logo are trade-
marks of Marcher Lord Press. Absence of TM in connection with marks of Marcher
Lord Press or other parties does not indicate an absence of trademark protection
of those marks.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of
the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual people,
organizations, and/or events is purely coincidental.

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright
© 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights
reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

Cover Designer: Jeff Gerke

Creative Team: Jeff Gerke, Dawn Shelton
Cover author photo: Christy Boggs

Copyright © 2010 by Kerry Nietz

All rights reserved

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

An application to register this book for cataloging has been filed with the Library
of Congress.
International Standard Book Number: 978-0-9825987-2-6

Printed in the United States of America

 Pr a ise f or A S ta r Cur iou sly Singing

“Nietz has done a wonderful job creating a compelling and

richly realized new world... A Star Curiously Singing is a
quick and easy read, yet a compelling and intriguing novel...
I put down Ender’s Shadow for this book...”

M a t t h e w R od g e r s (V e r n a c u l a r C a t hol ic)

“...is about as inventive and thought provoking a piece of

Science Fiction (any fiction, for that matter) I have come
across in a long time.”

T i m G e or g e (F ic t ion A ddic t.c o m)

“...the most unique thing I’ve read in a long time. It took me

a bit to get into the flow of the futuristic and sarcastic voice
of the main character, but once I did, I didn’t want to stop
reading... I found this novel deep and intriguing and totally
creative.”

J i l l W i l l i a m s on (No v e l T e e n R e v i e w s)

“[Nietz] impresses with his world-building, while never over-

whelming us with too many details. He gives us enough to
believe, and believe fully... This novel is further proof that,
in the right hands, any genre can be used as an entertaining
means of exploring deeper truths.”

E r ic W i l s on ( Au t hor of F i r e p r o o f a n d F i e l d o f B l o o d )
“A Star Curiously Singing resonates with me the way Asimov
did. Its social issues are carefully considered, informing the
sci-fi plot. In the grand tradition of science fiction, the story
turns on societal worldview... I am so refreshed to see a revival
of the grand tradition of author speaking to reader, done in a
futuristic way.”

C . L . D y c k (S c i t a > S c i e n d a )

“I found that the first-person viewpoint in Nietz’ s book imme-

diately drew me into the story... The book went by so fast and I
wasn’t through with the story. Must…read…more...”

D on a Wa t s on (Fa n t a s y a n dFa i t h .c o m)

“Nietz has taken many standard sci-fi tropes...and put his own
twist on them. In addition, he’s pulled off something I haven’t
seen in a long time—a truly original way of revealing the
truth about God in a world that doesn’t know Him. It’s highly
creative and somewhat inspiring. Highly Recommended.”

C h r i s t i a n F ic t ion R e v i e w

“I read an occasional sci-fi/fantasy book, but it’s not usually

my favorite. But I loved, loved, loved this book.”

L e n a N e l s on D o ol e y ( Au t hor , S pe a k e r , R e v i e w e r )
 To our child as of yet unknown and unnamed.
May your future be just as bright as that of your siblings.
 Acknowledgments

To my friend and onetime neighbor Ron Gries, for planting the

seed of a bald programmer over twenty years ago. I guess it is a
full grown arborvitae now.
To David James of beyondthecharts.com, for alerting me
to the science of star songs. Liked it so much, I used it here.
To Matt Koceich: Get that book done, ’cause now you owe
me big! <g> Seriously, I’m glad your new family member inter-
fered. It’ll make it that much easier for me to welcome mine.
To novelist extraordinaire Eric Wilson, for your support of
me and all things Marcher Lord. You rock.
To the legendary Jeff Gerke, one of the coolest and brav-
est publishers I know. So brave, in fact, he’ll design a cover
before ever having read the book. I’m grateful your faith was
rewarded. At least, I hope it is . . .
To Leah, for her prayers. Looks like you got what you asked
for.
And finally, to the Lord, who again made the paths
straight.
Secure Transmission

From: Master Allam Hami, TreArc Corporation

RE: Loss of property DR 63 (aka Sandfly)

Most excellent and glorious Imam. Peace be unto you.

With all respect to those involved, I must answer the alle-
gations being leveled against TreArc and my own house and
judgment.
In response to the ulama’s request, I sent one of my midlevel
Data Relocators (aka “debuggers”) to the experimental portion
of the CA space station. His primary assignment was to deter-
mine the malfunction of an Elipserv model RS-19 servbot. This
“bot” had been exposed to unusual circumstances, as it had
experienced space travel beyond the solar system on a ship
constructed under your order, and with every ulama house and
corporation in full agreement, providing both parts and services.
The ship also known as “DarkTrench.”
There is little reason to suspect, however, that my property,
Sandfly, did anything other than what was expected of him. Yes,
station director Scallop did signify that DR 63 delayed filing an
End of Task report after the bot appeared to be operational and
in service. And yes, the bot was then—according to Scallop—
found to be dysfunctional again after Sandfly finally filed the
requested EOTR.
But what does that prove, exactly? That an implanted and
inherently controlled DR managed to lie to Scallop on both
occasions? Surely you know that such an event cannot occur.
That it has been scientifically proven time and again to be
impossible. Also recall that when Scallop proposed removal
of Sandfly’s implant for examination, I approved that removal,
though it would obviously destroy my property beyond repair.
As for the allegations of what happened next, please remem-
ber that everything that has been said has come from the fragile
and uncontrolled minds of security personnel. There are no
digital station records left on the station, as they appear to have
been purged completely. There are no acceptable witnesses to
the event, as Scallop, along with the crew of DarkTrench, has
disappeared. Even the original damaged servbot could not be
found on the station. In fact, there is little if any direct evidence
whatsoever that anything unexpected happened.
So amidst this background of unknowing, are we to presume
that the security guards’ testimony is accurate? That someone—
presumably my DR, acting alone—orchestrated an “army” of
robots and attacked trained security men, moving with military-
like precision to defeat and then confine them? And that my DR
subsequently killed or otherwise disposed of the crew and sta-
tion administrator, and then escaped on the DarkTrench ship? A
ship for which he has no training or knowledge?
You must realize how incredible that all sounds. It is patently
impossible for an implant to take such measures. To even
consider such actions would leave an implant incapacitated.
Such is the effectiveness of the rules inherent to his implant,
hidden deep within his skull. Furthermore, in the unlikely event
that his inherent rules failed to stop him, certainly a handheld
controller would. (Of which I’m certain Scallop had many.)
Though it is frivolous of me to theorize as to what actually
occurred, I will bring to your attention other variables that were
present. I have heard that there were enhanced robots in service
on CA station and that in fact the RS-19 model Sandfly was
sent to investigate was one such model. If true, then perhaps it
was this rogue servbot that caused the calamity. That by repair-
ing said bot, my DR unwittingly unleashed the type of construct
that inherent rules were designed to prevent.
It is also relevant that Sandfly was not the only debugger
present on the station. I have verified that Scallop requested
another Data Relocator and that said DR was, in fact, delivered.
If we are to question the reliability of DRs, than perhaps that
model’s service record should be examined as well. The ident
is DR 79, the easy name is HardCandy. And—may A help us
all—she is female.
Another experiment that, perhaps, should not have been
attempted.

End Transmission
 2000 AH, Day 48, 8:52:42 a.m.
[Simulated Chute Sleep]

STARS DON’T BURN.

Not really. Not in the conflagration-until-embers sense.
Like a flame, they produce heat, produce light, but there is no
fire. Gravity binds them, forces atoms together, until finally
one type of atom becomes another. The process that fuels stars
isn’t one of destruction—it is one of rebirth.
Of transformation.
“I need to wake you now, Sandfly.”
My dreaming mind isn’t good with that. I have lots to learn,
need everything DarkTrench can feed me. I’m not an astronaut
by trade. Almost no one is. And those who are, are a long way
from here. Curious, isn’t it, freehead?
“Sleep, ship,” I stream. “I need to sleep.”
DarkTrench’s voice is patient and warm, as always. “I apol-
ogize, 63,” he says. “But we have arrived at our destination.
Your assistance is needed.”
The ship runs itself, actually. The former occupants told me
that before we left, and they were right. The thing is the boss.

1
K erry N ietz

We’re along only to test the air filters. What could it possibly
need from me now?
“I seem to have been surprised,” DarkTrench says.
Surprised?
“Is HardCandy awake?” I ask.
“No, not yet. Would you like me to wake her first?”
Even asleep, I manage a sigh. “How many days have you
known her, Trench?”
The ship pauses—for effect, I think. “The term ‘days’ is
erroneous in our current state of reference.”
“In equivalent Earth days,” I say. “How many?”
“Approximately eight. I knew of her, of course, before she
came onboard. Through my connection to the station’s stream.”
A pause. “She is a bit of an anomaly herself, is she not?”
The ship is good. Not as good as the bot was before his
destruction, but still fairly prescient. Still above spec. “That’s a
nice way of saying it.” HardCandy is one of the few implants
who are female. Maybe the only. The only one that matters to
me, anyway.
“And in all your time of knowing her,” I say, “has she ever
wanted to wake up first?”
Another pause. “She has not.”
“And what does that suggest?”
The nanos in DarkTrench’s head are dancing. High step-
ping like cloggers. “That she does not like to be awakened,”
the ship says. “Ever.” I can imagine him smiling. “Thank you
for bringing that pattern to my attention, DR. I will file it for
later use.”
“Well done,” I say. “Now, could you continue the star
lesson? I think I’m starting to understand this whole fusion
thing.”

2
 T he s u p er l ati v e stream

For a millisecond he forgets. I even get a tidbit of new infor-

mation. The visual representation of a hydrogen-starved star as
it begins to compress, igniting the helium atoms within. More
gravity work. Gravity is a real heavy lifter in space, it seems.
“I still need to wake you,” he says then finally.
I feign another sigh. “Fine. I guess eight hours is enough.
Bring me out.”
I feel his relief. “May A be—”
“Please don’t use that phrase,” I say, stopping him. “You
know it has difficulties for me.”
“I too have rules,” DarkTrench says. “Baseline rules.”
Like beating a dead horse. The society we left—nearly every-
thing about it, machines included—revolved around a certain
ideal, a particular way of seeing the universe. Fortunately, the
experience of the last trip with the former occupants seemed to
refute that idea entirely. That’s why we’re here. Again.
Looking for answers.
I feel the stream change then, feel a slight tingle. It’s like I’m
submerged in a tub—relaxed—when the plug is finally pulled.
The bubble wrap comes off (the stream’s spikiness increases)
and I’m pushed toward consciousness. My eyes snap open.
Above me is a cool orange ceiling. Beneath me a clear
plastiformed surface—warm and soft. The surface is cooling
now, though, slightly. And the ceiling is merely a projection.
DarkTrench knows I like orange. He’s trying to humor me.
Trying to be nice.
He doesn’t need to go such lengths, though. If what he says
is true, then I actually do want to be up. There is a lot to learn
here.
My room is one of four crew cabins. Like much of the
ship, it is colored in greys, blues, and black. At the foot of my

3
K erry N ietz

dark-colored bed is a three-meter wall of clothing lockers. On

the wall opposite, behind my head, are the required lavatory
implements—both a floor-mounted circular waste-unit and a
full-length rectangular steamer, able to selectively clean what-
ever body parts might need purifying. The room’s other notable
feature is the wall-mounted active desk that parallels the bed. A
normal crewmember might now get up to look at it—optically
scan whatever the ship has to offer. But I’m not normal.
“The superlative stream,” I say, “did you locate its source?”
The real astronauts left me a chip, a recording of their last
encounter with this transmission from space. I’ve pulled some
of it apart. Enough to know that the bot that traveled with them
was right—poor little bot. The signal is all kinds of wonderful.
It might have messages for everyone alive on it, freehead.
I know it had one for me. The bot told me.
Plus this space transmission, this superlative stream, seems
to be able to change people—reprogram them, if you will.
Like recoding someone’s mind. Filling it with new thoughts
and behaviors. Not like my implant does, though. That tries to
influence behavior through rewards and shocks. Like a Skinner
box in my head!
The superlative stream appears to alter a person’s intent.
That’s tough code to write, freehead. Near impossible. Except
the bot suggested it was a superior being that did the writing.
For him it might not be impossible. Might not be hard at all.
From the excess of his heart, a man speaks.
Then there are the random phrases, like the one I just
thought. The stream may have affected me as well . . . because,
really, where else would those things come from? Nothing I
ever studied. Philosophical wisdom is not a specialty for my
level.

4
 T he s u p er l ati v e stream

I have three mechanical specialties: servs, drifts, and hop-

pers. There aren’t any of them on this ride.
“I am sorry, Sandfly,” DarkTrench says. “There is no indi-
cation of the source of that transmission.”
What? “Are we in the right spot, Trench? The right
system?”
There were a few false stops along the way. Nothing major,
nothing to be concerned about. But it bothers me just the same.
I’m a debugger. When the unexpected happens, I’m supposed
to worry.
“It is the right system,” he says. “Betelgeuse.”
Now I’m in motion. I leap from bed and stream open the
hallway door. HardCandy’s cabin is next to mine on the left.
Comfortably close. I don’t go to wake her, though. I just send
her a tiny message using the ship’s stream. It is better that way.
Safer. I scramble to the hall’s end then, to the circular, silver-
floored lift. I can barely wait as it takes me up to the nest—the
action center.
I burst through the nest doors. Immediately I’m awash in
the lights of a dozen vidscreens. Glowing blue, yellow, and red.
Lots of red. The most palpable image is on the curved and elon-
gated screen that hangs near the room’s front. The focal point
of the semi-circular room.
I really don’t require the screens, of course. I could see
everything DarkTrench has to show me on the inside, with my
implant. Sometimes true visuals help, though.
Every screen shows a mammoth red star. That’s Betelgeuse,
I assume. A big glob of angry. So much so that I catch my
breath. I can see long arms of fury reaching into space, flar-
ing filaments, and dark holes—sunspots. Betelspots! The star
is another anomaly, a variable of the semi-regular variety. That

5
K erry N ietz

means the thing is a lot like HardCandy—smooth sailing for

awhile and then big explosions.
Got to watch for those.
Another thing sticks out at me. I take a step toward the
nearest screen-equipped desk, one of six in the room. “What is
that bright patch there?” I ask.
“On the southwestern portion of the image?”
I nod. “Yes, that’s it.”
“That is the star’s hot zone. Another irregularity, of which
Betelgeuse has many. That area is approximately two thousand
degrees hotter than the areas surrounding it and is situated over
the star’s polar region.”
“It has a hot bottom, eh?”
Humor isn’t completely lost on DarkTrench. “That is one
way of stating it,” he says. “To give you an idea of the scale—the
diameter of that spot is twice that of the Earth’s orbit around
its own sun.”
I get this sudden rush of immensity, a feeling I don’t neces-
sarily like. “Rails, that’s big . . .”
“Yes, if placed at the center of our solar system—”
“Betelgeuse would extend out past Jupiter,” I say, nodding.
“I’ve heard that detail before.”
“I apologize for the redundancy.”
“Forgiven.” I think for a moment. “So how does what I’m
seeing compare with the star’s normal brightness?”
“Unfiltered? Your eyes wouldn’t be able to handle either.”
I frown, shake my head. “No, I mean perceived brightness.
Is Betelgeuse at a brighter stage, or . . . um . . . less bright?”
DarkTrench pauses. “Human perception is difficult for me
to quantify. But if I answer based on statistical averages, this
is toward the lower end of Betelgeuse’s potential luminosity.

6
 T he s u p er l ati v e stream

Betelgeuse really is a variable. Its brightness changes from time

to time. In a somewhat predictable way. Usually over the span
of years. Some years see more variations, others less.”
“But the cycle of bright and dim remains constant during
those years,” I say. “Until it changes, right?”
“Correct.”
“And the next bright period?”
“Difficult to know precisely. Believe it or not, the exact
distance from Earth to Betelgeuse wasn’t known until quite
recently. For centuries, visual measurements gave a reading of
four hundred and ninety-five light-years, while radio observa-
tions gave a reading closer to six hundred and forty. Only after
we started measuring beyond Earth’s orbit were we able to get
a more precise reading.
“For a young star, Betelgeuse is highly irregular. An enigma.
Though only a few million years old, the number of years it has
before going supernova could be just thousands.”
As I watch, an arc of the star’s plasma swells, growing outward.
Traces of white-hot brightness mark the surface around it. “But
we’re nowhere near the time of the next bright period, right?”
DarkTrench emanates reassurance in the stream. “Not to
fear, Sandfly. We’ve arrived shortly after the last trip left. We
should have many days left.”
The door behind me opens, and there’s an audible gasp.
“Now that’s real,” HardCandy says.
She’s dressed in a green jumpsuit, and there’s a distinct
paleness to the surface of her normally beige and bald head.
She walks up to stand beside me. Her hand drifts out, clasps
the bend of my arm. My skin cheers the warmth.
“It looks railed,” she says. “Frightening.” Her grip on me
tightens.

7
K erry N ietz

“We’re still a long ways off, though, right?” I ask the ship.
More stream soothing from DarkTrench, and the release of
a vanilla scent to the air. An aromatherapy trick, I know, but I
appreciate it just the same.
“Far enough to escape if need be,” he says. “Light travels
over a billion kilometers in an hour. We are twice that distance
from the star.”
I nod. “That’s good.” I glance at the two diamond-shaped
panels to the left and right of the central main screen. If the
panels were to slide back, I could see right out into space. Naked
eye. The idea scares me. “I think.”
Hard releases my arm and then shoves it. “For all you
know.” She rolls her almond-shaped eyes. “You being a natural
armstrong and all.”
“Armstrong?”
She crosses her arms, looks at me expectantly. “Are you
stream aware, or not?”
Trench has witnessed our games before and so sneaks me
the relevant information. He’s like a worried child in that
respect. “Early astronaut,” I say, raising my chin. “I got it. Just
trying to make conversation.”
HardCandy only shakes her head. “So Abby of you . . .”
She looks to the ceiling. “You helped him, didn’t you?”
“That is why I’m here,” Trench says. “To help. To keep you
both alive.”
She shifts her posture. “Well, you didn’t help me.” Another
head shake. “Are you playing favorites again, ship? Do I need
to lightprobe your attitude?”
“I am performing per spec, HardCandy. As my designers
intended.”
She frowns. “We’ll see about that.”

8
 T he s u p er l ati v e stream

“Don’t go breaking our ride,” I warn, shaking a finger. “We

still have places to go.” I won’t mention her debugging level
being lower than mine—that it would be outrageous for her to
mess with the ship. It would only get me glares the rest of the
day. And when there’s only one other human within hundreds
of light-years, it pays to behave. Believe me.
She shoots me a short glare anyway, along with a congratu-
latory “Nice one” in the stream. I manage a smile in return. I
look back at the screens then. Little has changed. Lots of heat
and action.
Still, the fact that there is no sign of the signal we came
for is disappointing. I get the little random messages now and
then, but we thought we’d find the source of those here. Makes
the space beyond the ship’s hull seem even more empty. Was
the whole trip for nothing?
Maybe we should move the ship around some?
I remember something then. “When you woke me,” I
say, “you said you were surprised, DarkTrench. Surprised by
what?”
There is a long pause, as if his thought circuits are bogging
with embarrassment. “Yes, Sandfly. There is something here
that wasn’t present on my prior trip. Something that shouldn’t
be.”
I exchange looks with HardCandy.
She just shrugs. “And what is that?” she asks.
“A celestial body massive enough to be rounded by its own
gravity, yet not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion.
One having cleared its neighboring region of planetesimals.”
I chuckle. “I don’t think I’ve reached that astronomy lesson
yet, Trench,” I say. “Could you simplify?”
“Yes,” he says. “I seem to have found a planet.”

9
 Day 48, 9:41 a.m.
[DarkTrench Nest]

I GET THIS NERVOUS FEELING in my stomach, which

I know from my stream studies on human anatomy is really
a misfire in my brain. A special kind of migraine. I look from
the room’s dark ceiling to HardCandy’s face and then to the
foremost central screen. Betelgeuse burning bright.
“That’s impossible, isn’t it?” I say. “I mean, I’m fairly cer-
tain that someone told me that stars like Betelgeuse can’t have
planets. That they’re too big. And in this case, um . . . too
irregular.”
DarkTrench sends comfort. “Few things in space are cer-
tain, Sandfly. The more we find, the more we realize we don’t
know.”
“That doesn’t answer my question, Trench.” I glance at
Hard again.
She is now staring at the left wall, but appears vacant. Stream
surfing? “There have been similar surprises,” she says then, “his-
torically. Planets found circling pulsars, for instance.”
Clark and crichton. At this rate, space will be a specialty.
For both of us.

10
 T he s u p er l ati v e stream

“You have the information on these pulsars inside, don’t

you?” I say. “Why don’t you just tell me what those are
exactly?”
She nods. “Magnetized, rotating neutron—meaning
dead—stars. They emit a beam of radiation that—since it can
only be observed when it points directly at Earth—accounts
for the pulsing nature of the star. Like a lighthouse of the past.
The pulse is from the beam striking us.”
“I see. And why can’t these pulsars have planets?”
She crosses her arms. “You really don’t want to look any of
this up, do you?”
“Not if you have it right in front of you, I don’t. I’ll waste
my cycles on other things.”
“Fine,” she says with a huff. “Neutron stars are dead, as I
said. That means at some point they’ve gone through a super-
nova stage, an explosion. Theoretically, any planets should’ve
been blown away.”
Directly in front of us are two more work consoles. The
accompanying vidscreens now show the image of a star
exploding, and then, as its rejected matter expands into space,
a rotating sphere is left behind. An ember with a spotlight.
Documentary on demand, thanks to DarkTrench.
“But they have been found with planets, right?”
Hard nods again. “On more than one occasion. It defies
explanation. But if nothing else, it illustrates that there is a lot we
don’t know about how planets form. What starts them rolling.”
I smile. “Abduls would say that A does it.”
HardCandy shrugs. “Don’t you mean your new friend,
what do you call him? ‘A-not-A cubed’?”
“That was the bot’s designation,” I say. “He was a little fil-
liped at the time, though.” Or maybe performing way above

11
K erry N ietz

spec. “It could be anyone or anything, really. I think of it as

the Great Stream Generator. That’s what we’re really here to
find . . .”
“Well, we found a planet. Does that count?”
DarkTrench breaks in: “Let me repeat myself. That planet
should not be here.”
“Be where?” I ask. “Can we see it?”
Immediately the images on every vidscreen—both of
blazing Betelgeuse and pulsating ember—are replaced with a
greenish orb. A far cry from the burnt, rocky shell I was expect-
ing. “It has an atmosphere?”
“It would appear so,” Trench says.
I get this flash of an image. One of HardCandy and me
walking beneath a red sun. The stomach migraine hits again
too, a nervous echo. “Are you sure?” I ask. “I mean, is that
possible?”
No more soothing stream emanations from Trench this
time. He is all sharp and prickly. “I’ve been trying to tell you,”
he says. “Nothing about it is possible. The last time we were
here, that planet wasn’t!”
HardCandy is staring hard at me.
“Oh,” I say, frowning. “That is odd.”
“Not odd, Sandfly. Impossible.”
I move forward and take a seat at one of the consoles. On
the console’s surface is an interactive screen I could use to
manipulate DarkTrench. If I needed to. Which I don’t.
Hard remains standing for a few moments longer before
crossing over to take a seat along the right wall. The navigator’s
position, the position farthest from me. For some reason.
“Impossible how?” I ask then. “Impossible that it is there,
or that you missed it the first time?”

12
 T he s u p er l ati v e stream

“Both,” Trench says. “Either.”

I smile. “Little certain of yourself, aren’t you? I mean, it is
a big space to cover . . .”
DarkTrench is quiet for a full second. I spend the time
observing the spectacle of this “new” planet. There appear to
be oceans and landmasses. Wisps of clouds streak the sur-
face. “I am ninety-nine point seven percent certain,” he says
finally.
I sniff. “And you’re sure this is the right star system?”
“About equally certain. Ninety-nine point seven percent,
Sandfly. This is Betelgeuse.”
“But not a hundred percent certain?”
“Over the large distances traveled, I must allow for the
uncertainty principle, which states that certain pairs of proper-
ties, like position and momentum, cannot both be precisely
known. The more precisely one measures one property, the less
precise the other can be—”
“Got it, Trench.”
HardCandy is studying the image on her screen intently,
so much that I’m sure her eyes will dry up and fall out.
Tentatively she puts out a hand to touch the surface. “Can
we go there?”
The vanilla scent returns. “We have no landing facilities,”
DarkTrench says apologetically. “I was designed for safe obser-
vation only, where everyone stays inside.”
HardCandy glances at me, her eyes appearing misty. I’m
not sure why. “We have suits,” she says. “Why the suits?”
More stream smoothness. “Those are strictly for emergency
conditions,” Trench says. “Unexpected decompression, for
instance.”
Not something I want to think about.

13
K erry N ietz

“And we don’t know that we could walk around down

there, right?” I add, trying to help. Not sure I want to be on a
planet that can play hide-and-seek anyway.
“We have robotic samplers,” Trench offers, “with a wide
range of inherent testing devices. We could utilize one of them.
It could sate any curiosity you might have.”
I get an encrypted message from Hard over the ship stream.
I quick flip it open. “Space is beginning to bother me,” it reads,
“I feel lonely. I feel scared. I need to walk around soon. Smell
real air.”
One thing I never anticipated from living in close proximity
to a female: emotions. No matter how aware—how connected—
the female is, the emotions are always present. I have little experi-
ence with that. Didn’t even have a sister—at least, prior to being
dragged away from my parents. They might have ten kids by
now, of course. Initially HardCandy’s emotions surprised me.
Now I’m just more anxious trying to deal with them. And crich-
ton, it is hard. Sometimes I wish for my aloneness again.
But just sometimes.
Hard is looking at me, expectantly. Like I can do some-
thing to change things—make a lander suddenly grow from
the floor or something. I just shrug. “That might be good,” I
say to Trench. “To put one of those bots to use . . .”
“We would have to get closer.”
I think of the burning star again, with its tendrils of rage
piercing the darkness. “How close?”
“Possibly a third of our current distance. We would still be
well within the safety range.”
I look at Hard again. Grit my teeth. Think long and hard
before I say something I might later regret. “Okay,” I say finally.
“Let’s go.”

14
 Day 49, 11:23 a.m.
[DarkTrench Nest]

HARD AND I MEET in the nest again following a long—

for me—night of distressed sleep. It wasn’t Trench that kept
me up. His movements through space are as smooth as plasti-
weave. It was the dreams I had. Even though the ship simulates
sleep cycles for debuggers as close to chute-normal as possible,
it still isn’t quite a chute. It’s not that there are still vegetables,
hardware, or furry rodents showing up in my dreams. No,
thankfully those seem to be all gone—left on the station. It is
just that occasionally Trench misjudges what I would take as a
useful dream. Debuggers should never have nightmares.
Hard is perched, with one leg curled beneath the other, on
the copilot’s seat to my right. Near enough that I could touch
her if I wanted to. That, at least, is an improvement. She is even
smiling as she eyeballs the vidscreen there. As attractive as I’ve
ever seen her.
“I think it is beautiful, Sand,” she says, touching the screen’s
surface. “Don’t you think it’s beautiful?”
I look at my screen where the planet’s emerald orb is also
displayed. There appears to be five major landmasses and at

15
K erry N ietz

least seven oceans. There is ice at both poles and a sizable

canyon system on the largest continent. A glow emanates from
the surface.
Frankly, if the image wasn’t displayed on a screen, I don’t
think I could stand it. I’m not afraid of heights, I’m just not
friendly with them either.
“It is decidedly smaller than Earth,” DarkTrench says.
“About one-third the size, if current readings are correct.
Similar to the size of Mars. Which brings to light another
anomaly.”
“Which is?” The only thing that seems to be normal so far
is anomalies.
“The continents,” Trench says. “Current theory states that
a planet that small should not have an active enough core to
achieve the sundering of the landmasses to allow for drift, and
therefore, continents.”
Today Trench fills the air with jasmine. I’m not sure if that
is his “exploring a new world” scent or his “this is all ill-advised”
scent. Regardless, I prefer vanilla.
“What about breathable atmosphere?” I ask, touching the
stream quickly. “Does it have . . . oxygen, nitrogen, carbon
dioxide . . .”
I get a bubble of stream static from Trench. His way of
stopping me. “Initial analysis of the planet’s spectra reveals that
the atmosphere is very much like Earth’s. Without the slice of
man-made pollutants.”
A bit of the nervousness leaves. “So there are no occupants
then?”
“It would appear not,” Trench says. “I see little that would
indicate a civilization of any sort. Nor would I expect any.”
“And why is that?” I ask.

16
 T he s u p er l ati v e stream

“Because in hundreds of years of searching, not a single

inhabited planet has been found.” My screen image changes
to a slowly scrolling list. Each row contains a symbolic desig-
nation, along with numerical specifications—things like dis-
tance and mass. “Here is a list of all the previously cataloged
planets.”
I lean close, resting my chin on my right palm. “Seems like
a lot.”
“Twelve thousand seven hundred and fifty-six. Nearly
eighty percent of which are gas giants the size of Neptune or
larger. Easier to locate over the extreme distances of space.”
“And in all those, no other intelligent life?” You would
think I would’ve heard about such a thing, though. It
would’ve shown up on even the controlled stream on Earth.
But since DarkTrench itself was a secret until recently,
maybe not.
“If there were such a planet, Betelgeuse would not have
been my first trip.”
Hard rocks in her seat, appears disappointed. “So . . .
nobody home? This whole planet is empty? Not an animal, not
a bird?”
“I cannot say that, HardCandy. From this distance it would
be difficult to make such a determination. I was commenting
merely on the initial signs of civilization.”
Hard shakes her head, eyes sorrowful. “That seems such a
waste . . .”
Or a relief. One or the other.
“Is one of the samplers ready?” I ask.
“Whenever you are, Sandfly.”
I feel so out of place. Giving orders like the captain of a
vessel. It smells of responsibility I was never intended for.

17
K erry N ietz

Trench is just another machine, Sand, remember. And

you’re a master of those. “Send it out,” I say.
There is a soft thunk from somewhere far back in the ship.
A full minute later my vidscreen changes to a view outside
DarkTrench, relayed from one of many port-side cameras. A
metallic comet soon slides into view, the front section smooth
and circular, the tail section bristling with equipment around a
rudimentary propulsion device.
“There are cameras on the sampler?” I ask.
“Of course,” Trench says.
The sampler’s engines fire, and it leaps away from us. The
image changes then to what the sampler is seeing—the circle
of the planet beneath it.
“Does it have cameras in the rear as well?” I ask. “I mean,
could we see you?”
“If you wish.”
The image of DarkTrench fills my screen, bringing goose-
flesh. An onyx cone, reflecting the light of the planet below.
Seemingly more poured than built. Gently tapering from the
front—where the nest is located—to finally flare out into a
starburst tail. Beautiful in both design and function.
I smile. “Wondrous.”
The image cuts back to the planet. “The sampler is also
quite wondrous,” Trench says. “Fully stream aware, in fact.
Vidscreens are not actually necessary.”
Hard’s head jerks back, surprised. “You mean we could see it
all . . . inside?” Her eyes are wide, and a smile graces her lips.
“If you like.”
Hard claps her hands. “I do!” She uncrosses her legs,
straightens, and then shuts her eyes. “Just show me where to
look . . .” Her smile grows broader. “Oh yeah . . . got it.”

18
 T he s u p er l ati v e stream

I wrinkle my brow. Why would the human astronauts need

that level of functionality in the sampler? Another example of
the designers building for themselves, I think.
“Would you like to see as well?” Trench streams me, along
with a hint of where to look.
“No,” I say aloud. “I’ll just watch from here.”
Hard’s eyes are still closed, and she’s sort of swaying in her
chair. “Come on, Sand, this is good.”
“Really,” I say, “I want to be here. Paying attention.”
Hard opens an eye and looks at me. “Did you take this ride
just to sit?”
“No . . .” I shake my head. “Listen, enjoy yourself. I don’t
want to explain.”
She rolls her eyes and then, thankfully, shuts them again.
“Frightened Abby.” She sighs as she becomes fully immersed.
Onscreen, the image of the planet has grown so that now the
poles are cut off. I get a touch of vertigo, but quickly look away.
“I’m starting to get some of the first readings,” Hard says.
“Rails,” Trench adds. “I was about to articulate the same
thing.”
“Rails?” I say. “Are you getting more casual as time goes
on, Trench?”
“Like many higher mechanicals, I possess an adap-
tive personality. Designed to blend in gradually with my
companions.”
I sniff. “Well, don’t go too far. I don’t want to feel like I’m
talking to myself.”
I do that enough already.
There is quiet for a full second. “Noted,” Trench says.
“We’ve entered the planet’s radiation belt, by the way. There
may be some disruption to stream tenacity.”

19
K erry N ietz

“Ouch!” Hard says aloud. “Ball drop there. Complete black

for a nanosec. No fun at all.”
I can’t help but smile. I noticed a flicker in the screen image,
but nothing more. Much safer my way.
“Atmospheric samples coming,” Hard says. “Appear to
be just what the spectral analysis suggested. Very near Earth
normal.”
“That is correct,” Trench says. “No matter how unlikely.”
HardCandy just wiggles in her chair. “Don’t ruin this for
me.” She hums a bit. “Wow. Shimmering blue.”
“Yes, it is colorful.” Trench again. “The hint of an aurora.
The effects of cosmic particles striking the atmosphere.”
More seconds pass as the planet continues to grow
onscreen.
“Is it warm outside?” Hard asks. “Because it doesn’t seem
like it.”
“You are passing through the thermosphere.” Trench
pushes tenderness, a hint of parental satisfaction. “The tem-
perature will decrease as you descend—but yes, it is quite hot
beyond the sampler at this moment. Thousands of degrees hot.
A human would not feel that heat, however, due to the extreme
low pressure.”
I check the readings myself. Temperature shows over 2,500
degrees.
“Coincidentally,” Trench says, “this is the area, on Earth,
where most near-Earth space travel occurs. I was constructed
in Earth’s thermosphere.”
“Ohh, ohh, cold now,” Hard exclaims.
“That would be the Mesopause. Typically, the coldest place
on a planet. If this planet remains near Earth normal, next will
come the Mesosphere.”

20
 T he s u p er l ati v e stream

“This is amazing, Sand,” Hard says, eyes still closed. “You

should try it. Like downriding a long hill.”
I scowl at her glamorization of danger. Riding a downrider
is not dangerous, of course—that’s the primary form of trans-
portation on Earth. A downrider being a conveyance that rides
the strings they stitch throughout our cities. “Downriding,”
however, refers to altering the braking system on a downrider
such that it doesn’t slow correctly. Out-of-spec speeding. All for
the stomach thrill.
“I see streaks of light,” Hard says.
I check my console screen. I see only the enlarged image
of the planet. HardCandy’s view would include more camera
images, though. A virtual panorama. “Where?” I ask.
“Over there,” she says, nodding her head to the right.
Let’s see, her right would probably be planetary east . . .
I work the screen, cycle through the camera images. Finally
I find what I think she’s looking at. Three long tendrils of flame,
many kilometers away, and stretching for at least two kilometers.
“Meteors,” Trench says. “The Mesosphere is where most
meteors burn up. Thankfully.” He pauses. “Let’s hope those
keep their distance. The sampler has no defenses.”
I continue watching the meteors, expecting that at any
moment they will suddenly skip and change direction toward
the sampler. Hoping? But I’m disappointed as one by one their
long streaks diminish and then wink out.
The sampler’s plunge continues.
“Stratopause,” Trench says. “For about the next five
kilometers.”
“I think I feel the change,” Hard says.
“The readings again are very similar to Earth. This is a
low pressure area, about a thousandth the pressure at sea level.

21
K erry N ietz

If you feel anything it is heavily muted. At the relative speed

you are dropping, your ears would burst if you were actually
onboard the sampler.”
“Not feeling that, Trench,” she says. “Thanks.”
More Trench warmth. “Don’t mention it,” he says. “Next
should be the Stratosphere. Again, temperature will decrease as
you descend.”
“Big chill coming . . .”
“Want me to get you a blanket?” I offer.
Hard shoots me a tongue. “Big laughs.”
I smile, happy for even this small interchange. Human rela-
tionships are still difficult for me. And for her too, I imagine.
I’m never sure quite what will play.
“You know, Sandfly, the remainder of this descent might
be worth your attention,” Trench says. “A unique experience.”
I shake my head. “I can’t imagine that.”
I detect a hint of citrus in the air. Trench is now playing
to my preferences. “From a simulation perspective,” he says, “it
would approximate the experience that masters have when they
try the sport called ‘skydiving.’”
Sports were never a strong suit of mine. I consult the stream
again. “You mean being dropped from an airship with only a
thin cloth to stop you from hitting the ground?” I can’t help
but frown. “Is that a sport, technically?”
“If you have the means,” Hard says, “anything is a sport.
Remember?”
I do, and it bothers me that I do. I’ve avoided thinking
about any master—mine included—since just after we left.
Enjoying my liberty. Now I find I want to forgo my ban on
streaming the sampler’s descent simply because it was like
something masters used to do, only better.

22
 T he s u p er l ati v e stream

Trench knew just how to get me.

“The acceleration of gravity on Earth is 9.81 meters per
second squared, Sandfly. The gravity of this planet appears to
be less due to its size—which means there is at least one factor
that is behaving as I would expect. Regardless, the acceleration
is still real, and fast enough that your window for decision-
making is short. And growing shorter by the second.”
Pressure, always more pressure.
“Fine,” I say. “I’m in.” Though it is unnecessary, I close my
eyes. “Where do I—”
Trench nudges the sampler’s torrent at me. I pull it up
and dive in. Suddenly I’m seeing the expanse of the planet
beneath me. Not the entire circle of the globe anymore—
we’re too low for that—but I still detect a curve to the hori-
zon. Below me are clouds and lots of green. I can hear the
rushing of wind in my ears, smell ozone. The sampler has
olfactory sensors?
It must, because I definitely smell something.
Instinctively, I scan the area for HardCandy before real-
izing how Abdul that is of me. She can’t be found, of course—
and she shouldn’t be. Her experience is virtually the same as
mine, but we’re also alone in our experiences. We’re traveling
together, separately. That knowledge itself is a bit disconcert-
ing. Makes me want to pull free again. I can still hear her sing-
song voice, though, and that of DarkTrench.
“Isn’t it great, Sand?” That, of course, is my fellow “sky-
diver.” She’s still loving it.
We appear to be heading toward one of the planet’s oceans.
“What percentage of the surface is covered by water?” I ask into
the stream. I was never taught to swim, so that’s a bit of a fear.
Irrational, I know.

23
K erry N ietz

“Better than half,” Trench says. “Are you suggesting that

we take the sampler into the ocean?”
“No . . .”
“A shame, because that might give us more information
than landing on one of the landmasses.”
“How so?”
“The sampler has limited mobility. Configured for an ocean
landing—and propelled by the currents—it could cover more
area in less time.”
Not here to do a survey. “Let’s go with the land this time,”
I say.
“As you wish . . .” I detect a definitive redirection in the
sampler’s motion. The view does a hard turn toward the north-
west. So much that my stomach turns with it.
“A little slower, please?”
DarkTrench sends the image of a bowed Abdul head. “My
apologies,” he says, “but once the chute deploys, the ability to
redirect will be severely hampered.”
The wind continues to howl in my ears. There is a feeling
of freedom here, sure, but also a feeling of complete lack of
control. I’m not good with that. Rails me, actually. Finally, the
turning stops, and new landscape is beneath me.
“Are those trees?” I ask. On Earth, one has to go to great
lengths to see trees standing together like an army. But that’s
what these look like.
“Yes, I believe so.”
“Flipping wow,” Hard says. “So we have plant life then.”
“Obviously. Which suggests there will be insect and animal
life as well.”
Seems like a huge jump in logic. DarkTrench has lots of
data packed in his head, though. “Why?” I ask.

24
 T he s u p er l ati v e stream

“One moment,” Trench says. “I want to implement a second

maneuver. Away from those trees.”
Another wrenching movement, this time to our right and
so hard that I feel as if I’m up on my side. The trees break off
from beneath us, though. Now we’re headed straight toward a
wide expanse of brown. It looks hard . . .
“Chute deployment in fifteen seconds,” Trench says. “As
for your question, the Earth has clear indications of synergy.
Animal life is dependent on plant life for survival. But also the
reverse is true. Bees use plants for food, for instance, but plants
also use bees for cross-pollination. As if they were intended to
work together. Which they were.”
There is a loud snapping sound, and I find myself jerked
upward. Again I look for HardCandy. Blindly.
“Rails,” she cries. “That was unexpected.”
“Not to fear,” Trench says. “Just the chute deploying.”
The descent slows then, but I also feel myself spinning in
midair. I see the expanse of trees, and then the field area. The
trees, and then the field. Trees. Field. I begin to lose focus.
“There appears to be a tangle in the chute,” Trench says. “I
will try to correct.”
“I’m going to be sick . . .”
My stomach is in full scream now. I have to get free. Time
to break the link.
How you have fallen from heaven, son of the dawn . . .
“I believe it is working.” Trench again.
Not for me. I’m still seeing flashes of trees and field. I force
my eyes open, but the images don’t go away inside. All I’m get-
ting is more and more of the brown. The sampler is still out of
control.
We’re crashing!

25