Exo

A short science fiction novel by the author of «The Black Blade», published by Delos Digital and available in Kindle and ePub formats.

Exo

Series: Robotica, Number: 54, Publisher: Delos Digital, ISBN: 978-88-254-0527-9, Pages: 68.

Back cover

When the Exo had attacked and destroyed the outermost colonies of the Belt, the Earth’s reaction had been prudent. It was the first contact with an extraterrestrial race and perhaps it could be a misunderstanding, maybe a mistake. Soon it was realized, however, that it was a real invasion and that their enemies had no intention of negotiating. What they wanted was not clear, but that they wanted it was a fact.

The war seems distant to Anna and Marco, until they realize that enlisting has become the only solution to have permission to have what they want, a child. But things on the front will go in a completely unexpected way, and will lead to reveal a very well kept secret.

Incipit

Anna tore off the seal of warranty of the package and took out the double portion of basmati rice, then put the pack in the microwave oven and the biodegradable wrapping in the recycling tube. The former lit almost immediately and automatically set the time shown on the QR code of the portion; the latter gave a simple sigh, then swallowed the transparent film with a snort of evident satisfaction.

The front door opened while a journalist on the television was reading the computation of the victims of that week. Fourteen thousand eight hundred twenty-three. A thousand more than the previous week, almost three thousand civilians, a whole colony swept away, the twelfth only in the last six months. The woman turned to the new arrival.

– Did you find it?

Marco shook his head. Anna smiled, as if to say: “you tried”. She knew there was little chance. Now the red meat was just a memory. Rice, chicken, vegetables, sometimes fish, provided it was really fish. She suspected that everything they ate was actually soy or something like taht. Only rice could be trusted, perhaps.