Arrows of Conquest
by Marcus VanceOctober 1, 2020
Look at their faces, shaved so smooth. The soldiers look like children as they sleep peacefully in their cryoberths.
Earth is so far away. What is it like to dream for decades--centuries?--frozen?
They took such great care: a shackled AI to sing them to sleep if they wake early, robots to keep their guns and armor and knives and atomic bombs clean and ready for genocide, and all the proper paperwork and bureaucracy for colonization signed.
These little toy soldiers, these arrows of conquest, they planned for it all.
Except for us meeting them halfway, while they dream.
About Marcus Vance
More from Marcus Vance
Neon
Giant neon koi swam through the intersection, followed by a banner for a dry-cleaning service. Never could remember what the place's name was, but I always loved driving past Fifth avenue for the fish. Tonight was no different. My passenger didn't have the same sentiment.…
One for the Aegis
"You said the sequel was still in its first draft, right?" "Yes," I said, nodding. "Then how could you lose money on it already?" "I... I bought the cover yesterday." "That's your worst financial decision ever, Tay," Iris said in a way that reminded me of my mother. "A huge…
Creative Ideas
I left the bar when the sun started to dip under the horizon. The humidity hit me like a jealous lover, and threatened strangulation. My black oxfords clicked on the cobblestone roads of the French Quarter while warm beer moved my feet. I wandered like the wide Mississippi. Home…
Improbable Meat
"I couldn't give up meat because I like the flavor too much." "Sure, livestock suffers. But it's the circle of life, ya know? We're designed to eat meat. Been doing it for hundreds of thousands of years. It's the taste that calls to us." Sound like you? Are you concerned for the…