Short Fiction · Chapters

Chapters explained

Chapter companions for Short Fiction by Algis Budrys.

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Chapter 1
Riya's Foundling
Phildee, a human boy with the ability to manipulate reality through Reimannian topology, is stranded on an alien world where he is adopted by Riya, an elderly herbivorous alien. Riya, desperate for a calf, takes Phildee as her own despite his obvious differences. Phildee struggles with the alien environment and Riya's expectations, but ultimately accepts her maternal care, finding a sense of belonging.
Chapter 2
Blood on My Jets
Ash Holcomb navigates the dangerous aftermath of his escape from the asteroid base, grappling with the loss of Pat McKay and the moral weight of his actions against Thorsten.
Chapter 3
I
David Greaves, a determined industrialist and test pilot, crash-lands his privately built spaceship Defiance on Venus. He survives the impact by sealing himself in a crash capsule filled with an experimental anesthetic, designed to keep him alive in suspended animation for up to a century until rescue arrives. As the ship breaks apart, Greaves reflects on his obsessive drive to succeed where governments feared to venture, and on the ironic flaw in his capsule's valve that may doom him to an endless sleep.
Chapter 4
The Awakening of David Greaves
David Greaves awakens from a long sleep on a strange world, greeted by a woman named Adelie who tells him he is worshipped as a god. He finds himself in a court surrounded by monstrous statues and is confronted by Vigil, his guardian, and Mayron, a being of shadows who claims to be the First of Men. Mayron challenges Greaves's divinity and announces they will fight tomorrow.
Chapter 5
III
Greaves, newly awakened, confronts his guardian Vigil and the worshipper Adelie about his role as a legendary figure. Vigil reveals that Mayron discovered the Shadows, entities from another continuum that consume humanity, and that a confrontation with Mayron is set for the next day. Greaves destroys a weapon meant for the fight, asserting his own agency.

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Riya's Foundling

Blood on My Jets

I

The Awakening of David Greaves

III