The Razor's Edge

by Seanan McGuire

  “Surely you know me better than that.”

  “Yes. But fifty-eight years is a long time. People—”

  “—can change,” they said together.

  Their eyes met through the visual comm. The hate bled back into his face and Haruna realized at that moment she would not be able to talk him out of this. Over half a century of healing for her had been a mere seven years for him. She couldn’t even blame him for living in the past. Because she, too, was here.

  “Well,” Keito said. “We’ve both waited long enough. Shall we begin?”

  “Is that all you wish to say?” Haruna said. “At the end of this—”

  “—one of us won’t be able to talk anymore, right?” The SeaGale hefted its sword. “We’ve always spoken best with our wingbots, not our words. Do you expect me to ask you about the bloom season dances you’ve been to, the nieces and nephews you’ve held, the people you’ve loved and lost?”

  None, none, and none, Haruna thought. But what she said was, “And you? How did it feel to dive through Portal 27? What of the Homeworld treasures you found? What happened to the other rebels from the Half Year War, those who joined you on the Deepsearch ship?”

  “The news shuttle reports will tell you all you need to know,” Keito said. “Just as I learned all I need to about you. Commander Emeritus. Hero of Rankyuu. Vanquisher of the Gelbin System Fleet.” Keito kept his face neutral, but Haruna heard the bitterness dripping from his voice. “What more needs to be said?”

  Haruna sighed. “I suppose you’re right.”

  The SeaGale circled closer. “Then let us begin,” Keito said. “I hope I have not put you at too much of a disadvantage, elder.”

  Haruna laughed. “In the PhoenixWing, there is no disadvantage.”

  She couldn’t say who fired the first shot. Neither needed to say a thing. They both knew the exact moment they had agreed upon. The SeaGale pelted a stream of missiles at the PhoenixWing and Haruna dodged, returning fire. The darkness of space lit up with lasers in blue and gold. Their visual comms blinked off, but, as if by consent, they both left the audio of their comm channels on. Haruna heard Keito draw a sharp breath as her shot grazed his wing.

  She felt … free. Like she was back being herself after too long away. Even after so many years, Keito was still her best opponent, one-on-one. She banked, turned, wheeled around him. His missiles tracked her like they were the latest batch, not outdated tech from her youth.

  “I won’t lose to you this time,” he said through the comm channel. Haruna only grunted in reply.

  She knew every part of his wingbot, just as he knew every part of hers. But maybe he’d gotten some strange upgrades on the other side of the Portal. Haruna circled warily, firing a stored beam with her shotgun. Keito activated his area shield to block it. He shouldn’t have a lot of those left, assuming his wingbot had only its original power.

  “Not bad,” Keito called. “I could almost—almost—see why you became fleet commander.”

  Unable to shake off his tracking shots, Haruna was forced to activate her own area shield. The hit on her power bar made her wince. Perhaps she had grown too used to the newer models. “Will you never let it go?” Haruna said. “You still have many years before you. You can continue exploring. You could even ask for a pardon. If you have something from the Homeworld to offer them, they might grant it to you. There are many things more worthwhile than an old grudge with me.”

  Keito suddenly dashed closer, swinging his sword. Area shields were no use against blades and Haruna blocked the strike with her wingshield. Cracks spiraled down her armor.

  “You misunderstand me,” Keito said. “My grudge is not with you, not entirely. I only …”

  He fired off a stream of lasers. Too close to dodge, Haruna activated the area shield again.

  “In their eyes it was just you, always you,” Keito said. “I was… nothing. If I could not prove myself better than you, then at least I wished to remain comparable. But you’d grown too far from me, too far to even chase.”

  And because of that, you rebelled against the fleet, against your planet, against all our vows as wingbot pilots. “You’re such a child,” Haruna whispered.

  She couldn’t see his expression, but his response allowed her to imagine it. He sent a flurry of tracking missiles and Haruna just managed to maneuver out of the way. Her sensors flashed. “Danger: Marubernum.” Haruna narrowed her eyes. The SeaGale’s special ability. Increased speed, agility, senses for a short time. At the cost of a shutdown of projectile operations or strongly decreased battery life. Judging by how much energy they’d both consumed, she guessed it was the former.

  Keito probably expected her to fly away from him, try to keep him at a distance where his blade could not reach her. Instead, Haruna met him head on. At close quarters, she’d use her skill in hand-to-hand combat to negate his speed and hopefully anticipate enough to his attacks to avoid the fatal ones. Haruna issued a command to her wingbot. Storage beam. Release on command.

  Their swords met. It felt almost like fighting in flesh, in gravity, without armor and cockpits between them. He was deadly fast, still skilled. He shattered her shield in moments and Haruna could only stay on the defensive, bearing his blows. Meanwhile her storage beam charged.

  When she blocked his next blow, she realized her mistake. His sword dug into the base of hers—at the weak spot, damaged during their last fight. Keito remembered. And he’d guessed she would repair it but not replace the sword entirely, not for this fight. Her sword shattered and she heard his cry of triumph as he slammed his blade into the head of her wingbot, through the cockpit—

  The storage beam hit 100 percent. Haruna fired.

  Pain. Pain, as his sword plunged through metal and flight-glass and drove into her torso. Then a flash of light and a scream on her comm channel, cut off. Haruna saw darkness for a moment, then …

  Energy blinked around her like lightning, illuminating space. She couldn’t breathe. Pieces of the barely recognizable SeaGale floated before her, its upper half blown away. She couldn’t see Keito. He’d probably been reduced to dust by her beam.

  Haruna wished she could cry, but she could do nothing. She was as still and motionless as her wingbot. Keito, my friend. Is this what you wanted? Did I finally manage to fulfill your wish?

  She wanted to laugh. What would the fleet think when they found her? Inoue Haruna, hero of Rankyuu, impaled in the cockpit of her outdated PhoenixWing. Dead in a pointless fight for a promise made to a traitor.

  Haruna tasted blood, and space, and nothing.

  About the Authors

  CHRISTOPHER ALLENBY makes his home within sight of North Carolina’s Brushy and Sauratown mountain ranges and teaches composition and literature at a nearby community college. During the summer months, he divides his time between scouring coastal waterways for the elusive Pamlico Fur-bearing Lizardfish and dabbling in science fiction, satire, and other literary vices. He has not yet committed to Facesnapper—or whatever—but thinks the interwebs are the bee’s knees.

  GERALD BRANDT is an International Bestselling Author of Science Fiction and Fantasy. He is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. His current novel is The Rebel - A San Angles Novel, published by DAW Books. His first novel, The Courier, also in the San Angeles series was listed by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as one of the 10 Canadian science fiction books you need to read and was a finalist for the prestigious Aurora Award. Both The Courier and its sequel, The Operative, appeared on the Locus Bestsellers List. You can find Gerald online at http://www.geraldbrandt.com, on Facebook as Gerald Brandt - Author, and on Twitter @geraldbrandt.

  New York Times bestselling author WILLIAM C. DIETZ has sold over two-million books, some of which have been translated into German, French, Russian, Korean and Japanese. Dietz also penned three STAR WARS novels for Lucas Films, two RESISTANCE novels for SONY, and a StarCraft book for Blizzard Entertainment. Dietz co-wrote the script for SONY’s Resist
ance: Burning Skies video game, and wrote the script for the Legion of the Damned™ iOS game based on his original work. For more about William C. Dietz please visit williamcdietz.com, www.facebook.com/williamcdietz and follow him on Twitter at William C. Dietz @wcdietz

  Born in Nashville, TN, ALEX GIDEON quickly decided he wasn’t a fan of the N, and now lives in Asheville, NC. He enjoys writing Fantasy of any kind as long as it’s dark, and he dabbles in Sci-Horror. He enjoys exorcising, taking long walks on extraterrestrial beaches, relaxing demon hunting trips, and fishing for Old Ones. Read his questionably helpful posts on TheMillionWords.net, and follow him on Twitter @AlexanderGideon.

  NASA Programmer/Lab manager by day and writer, dungeon master, and musician by night, SHARON GOZA started programming and writing areas for text-based MMORPG’s in the mid 90’s. Her love for creating worlds, especially those space related, sparked an interest in creative writing. “Neural Network” is her second published short story and she is very honored to have been chosen to have her story included with some of Sci-Fi’s greats. She can be reached on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharon-goza-4aa3941b/ >and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/sharon.goza.313

  BRIAN HUGENBRUCH lives in Upstate New York with his wife and their pets. By day, he writes information security programs to protect your data on (and from) the internet. By night, he writes speculative fiction about the ways imagination fuels our lives. Occasionally, the two intersect in weird and fascinating ways. This is his first published story. You can find him online at the-lettersea.com, or on Twitter @Bwhugen. No, he’s not sure how to say his last name, either.

  WALTER H. HUNT is a science fiction and speculative fiction writer from Massachusetts. He is the author of the critically acclaimed “Dark Wing” series, originally published by Tor Books and now in the Baen e-library. He has also written A Song In Stone, a novel of the Templars; Elements of Mind, a Victorian thriller about mesmerism; and, with Eric Flint, 1636: The Cardinal Virtues, part of the New York Times best-selling “Ring of Fire” series. He is married with one daughter, and is Grand Historian of the Grand Lodge of Masons in Massachusetts. Find out more at http://www.walterhunt.com.

  D.B. JACKSON (http://www.DBJackson-Author.com) is the award-winning author of twenty novels and as many short stories. He is best known for the Thieftaker Chronicles, a series set in pre-Revolutionary Boston that combines urban fantasy, mystery, and historical fiction. As David B. Coe (http://www.DavidBCoe.com), he writes epic fantasy, urban fantasy, media tie-ins, and just about anything else. He is currently working on a new fantasy trilogy for Angry Robot and a tie-in project with the History Channel. David has a Ph.D. in U.S. history. His books have been translated into a dozen languages.

  BLAKE JESSOP is a Canadian author of sci-fi, fantasy and horror stories with a master’s degree in creative writing from the University of Adelaide. He makes his bones as a writer, lecturer, poet, and bouncer. You can check out his work at amazon.com/author/blakejessop or follow him on Twitter @everydayjisei.

  A bestselling Science Fiction/Fantasy/Alt History author, speaker, and small-press publisher, CHRIS KENNEDY has written over 15 books and published more than 35 others. Chris’ stories include the “Occupied Seattle” military fiction duology, “The Theogony” and “Codex Regius” science fiction trilogies, stories in the “Four Horsemen” universe and the “War for Dominance” fantasy trilogy. Get the free short story, “Shattered Crucible,” at his website, chriskennedypublishing.com. Chris lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia, with his wife, and is the holder of a doctorate in educational leadership and master’s degrees in both business and public administration. Follow Chris on Facebook at facebook.com/chriskennedypublishing.biz.

  KAY KENYON is the author of fourteen science fiction and fantasy novels. Her latest work is the Dark Talents trilogy, historical fantasies of dark powers, Nazi conspiracies, and espionage set in 1936 England. In a starred review of Book 1, At the Table of Wolves, Publishers Weekly called it “A superb adventure, worthy to launch a distinguished historical fantasy series.” Kirkus Review called Book two, Serpent in the Heather, “A unique concept that is superbly executed.” Nest of the Monarch is forthcoming in spring of 2019. Join her newsletter for news and giveaways at www.kaykenyon.com. Connect with her on Twitter @KayKenyon.

  SF convention favorites SHARON LEE & STEVE MILLER have been writing SF and Fantasy together since the 1980s, with dozens of stories and several dozen novels to their joint credit. Steve was Founding Curator of Science Fiction at the University of Maryland’s SF Research Collection while Sharon is the only person to consecutively hold office as the Executive Director, Vice President, and President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Their newest Liaden Universe® novel, Neogenesis, is their twenty-sixth collaborative novel. Their awards include the Skylark, the Prism, & the Hal Clement Award. See http://www.korval.com.

  SEANAN McGUIRE writes things. It can be difficult to make her stop. When not writing things…actually, we’re not entirely clear on what she does when not writing things. She may be an ancient dream demon, contained in mortal flesh solely by the act of stringing words together. Visit www.seananmcguire.com or follow her on Twitter as @seananmcguire to help us keep her from breaking free of her bone prison and wreaking her terrible vengeance on our fragile world. Also she posts a lot of cat pictures.

  L. E. MODESITT, JR., is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 70 science fiction and fantasy novels, as well as a number of short stories and technical articles. He has been a U.S. Navy pilot; a market research analyst; a real estate agent; director of research for a political campaign; legislative director and staff director for U.S. Congressmen; Director of Legislation and Congressional Relations for the U.S. EPA; and a consultant on environmental, regulatory, and communications issues. His website is www.lemodesittjr.com, and his most recent book is Outcasts of Order.

  Y.M. PANG’s childhood memories consist of pacing around her grandfather’s bedroom, telling him stories of magic, swords, and bears. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Book Smugglers Publishing, and Polar Borealis. She dabbles in photography, listens to music in a multitude of languages, and often finds herself debating the merits of hermitism. Despite this, she can be found online at www.ympang.com and on Twitter as @YMPangWriter.

  STEVE PERRY has written scores of novels, short stories, animated TV shows, the odd unproduced movie script, and reams of non-fiction articles and reviews. His current projects include: Kosmic Bluesa novel in collaboration with Daniel Keys Moran; the final book in his Matador series, Churl; as well as a can’t-talk-about-it movie script with Mike Richardson, of Dark Horse Productions. Perry is a long-time student of the Javanese martial art Pukulan Pentjak Silat Sera Plinck, plays blues and geezer rock on the tenor ukulele, and resides in the Pacific Northwest with his wife of fifty-some years.

  About the Editors

  TROY CARROL BUCHER has served over twenty-nine years in the U.S. Army, where his assignments have taken him to three wars and places like Turkey, Albania, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait and Korea. His travels allow him to tap into a lifetime of experience working with diverse cultures and peoples, bringing multiethnic customs and realism with a distinct military flavor to his Science Fiction and Fantasy work. Troy holds an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University and is represented by Ms. Jennie Goloboy at the Donald Maass Literary Agency. His first fantasy novel, Lies of Descent, will be released by DAW in August, 2019.

  * * *

  JOSHUA PALMATIER is a fantasy author with a PhD in mathematics. He currently teaches at SUNY Oneonta in upstate New York, while writing in his “spare” time, editing anthologies, and running the anthology-producing small press Zombies Need Brains LLC. His most recent fantasy novel, Reaping the Aurora, concludes the fantasy series begun in Shattering the Ley and Threading the Needle, although you can also find his “Throne of Amenkor” series and the “Well of Sorrows” se
ries still on the shelves. He is currently hard at work writing his next novel and designing the kickstarter for the next Zombies Need Brains anthology project. You can find out more at www.joshuapalmatier.com or at the small press’ site www.zombiesneedbrains.com. Or follow him on Twitter as @bentateauthor or @ZNBLLC.

  Acknowledgments

  This anthology would not have been possible without the tremendous support of those who pledged during the Kickstarter. Everyone who contributed not only helped create this anthology, they also helped solidify the foundation of the small press Zombies Need Brains LLC, which I hope will be bringing SF&F themed anthologies to the reading public for years to come … as well as perhaps some select novels by leading authors, eventually. I want to thank each and every one of them for helping to bring this small dream into reality. Thank you, my zombie horde.

  The Zombie Horde: Glennis LeBlanc, Kiya Nicoll, Jenny Barber, Ash Marten, Simon Dick, Y. K. Lee, Katherine Malloy, Stephanie Cranford, Chris Matosky, David Perkins, Maureen Brooks, Kevin Wallace, Jonathan Briggs, Laura and Bill Pearson, Sheryl R. Hayes, Kim Lloyd, Tanya Gough, Matt K., Millie Calistri-Yeh, Caitlin Jane Hughes, Harvey Brinda, Julie Haddy, Carolyn Petersen, Konstanze Tants, Nellie B, Bryan Wetterow, Austin, Teresa Carrigan, Aurora N., Michael Fedrowitz, Darrell Z. Grizzle, Debbie Fligor, Mark Carter, Rebecca Sims, Sarah Cornell, David Zurek, Duncan & Andrea Rittschof, The Bowers, Paul McNamee, Pam Blome, Arej Howlett, Troy Chrisman, Larisa LaBrant, Mollie Bowers, Andrew Wilson, Patrick Thomas, melme, Noah Bast, Joseph Hoopman, Stephen Kissinger, Christine Swendseid, Mary Alice Wuerz, Chad Bowden, John Appel, M Harold Page, Lyndsey Flatt, Jesse Klein, Chris Huning, Lorri-Lynne Brown, Mary Soon Lee, Kevin Winter, Ronnie J Darling, John O’Neill, Lily Connors, Casey Sharpe, Kitty Likes, Wolf SilverOak, Elektra, Nicholas Adams, Benjamin C. Kinney, Cherie Livingston, Jaq Greenspon, Howard J. Bampton, David VonAllmen, Kristine Kearney, Erik T Johnson, Andrew Hatchell, Regis M. Donovan, Stephanie Lucas, Brian Quirt, Paul Musselman, Wendy Cornwall, Jaime O. Mayer, Gina Freed, Vy Anh Tran, Elizabeth Kite, Claire Sims, Debbie Matsuura, K Kisner, April Broughton, R. Hamilton, Vincent Darlage, ANDREW AHN, Carol J. Guess, Cathy Green, Stephen Ballentine, Céline Malgen, Penny Ramirez, Julie Pitzel, Jake, Chrissie, Grace & Savannah, jjmcgaffey, Gabe Krabbe, Bregmann Roche, Patrick Osbaldeston, Lori & Maurice Forrester, Pat Gribben, Robert Claney, Patti Short, Shades of Vengeance, Patricia Bray, Leah Webber, Jen Woods, Rolf Laun, Tibicina, Martin Greening, Judith Bienvenu, Ty Wilda, Sasha, C. Lennox, Brendan Lonehawk, Tom B., Michele Fry, Helen French, Auston Habershaw, FrodoNL, Simba Pipsqueak, Vespry Family, Nancy Edwards, Melissa Tabon, Andy Arminio, K Crowell, Lawrence M. Schoen, Colette Reap, Michael Skolnik, Amy Goldman, Chris ‘Warcabbit’ Hare, Jo Carol Jones, Eduard Lukhmanov, M.J. Fiori, R.J.H., Eddy Black, Connor Bliss, Yaron Davidson, Annika Samuelsson, Sarah Cottell, Jerrie the filkferengi, Rick Galli, Jakub Narêbski, Tanya K., Todd V. Ehrenfels, Liz Wyatt, Uncle Batman, David Eggerschwiler, Tibs, Orla Carey, Jessica Reid, Paul Bustamante, Henry Schubert, Melissa Shumake, William Hughes, Donovan DiPasquale, Gary Phillips, Jay Lofstead, Nathan Turner, Becky Allyn Johnson, Evan Ladouceur, Colleen R., L.C., Jenni Peper, Curtis Frye, Kayliealien, Richard James Errington, Kristi Chadwick, Rick Dwyer, Katchoo, Queen of the Nowells, Revek, Leila Qýþýn, Heidi Berthiaume, David J. Fortier, Gavran, Sarah Hester, Joanne Burrows, Elise Power, Tasha Turner, Scott Raun, Miranda Floyd, Jörg Tremmel, David A. Holden, Angie Hogencamp, Vicki Greer, AM Scott, SometimesKate, Mike Hampton, Lisa Kruse, Nick W, David Drew, Sidney Whitaker, James Conason, Nancy M. Tice, Sally Qwill Janin, Paula Morehouse, Elaine Tindill-Rohr, Christine Ethier, Kai Delmas, Todd Stephens, Mark Newman, Phillip Spencer, Deanna Harrison, Susan Carlson, Sharon Goza, Marty Poling Tool, Yankton Robins, Linda Pierce, Victoria L. Sullian, Niall Gordon, Peter T, ‘Jonesy’ Oberholtzer, Michael Abbott, Jonathan Collins, R Tharp, Dave Hermann, Paul y cod asyn Jarman, Hoose Family, Andrija Popovic, Keith Nelson, Paula & Michael Whitehouse, Tory Shade, Brenda Moon, Tina & Byron Connell, Deborah Crook, Moonpuppy61, Nathaniel Pohl, Ian Chung, Beth LaClair, L. E. Doggett, Kerry aka Trouble, Brad L. Kicklighter, Kristine Smith, Michelle L., Elyse M Grasso, Roy Sachleben, Jason Palmatier, Ajay O., Cyn Armistead, Brenda Carre, Alli Martin, Catherine Gross-Colten, Rebecca M, Gary Ehrlich, Mark Hirschman, Anthony R. Cardno, Mark Kiraly, Ed Ellis, David Rowe, Clare Deming, Kat S., VeAnna Poulsen, Sharon Wood, Chuck Wilson, C. L. Werner, Morgan S. Brilliant, Andy Miller, Anders M. Ytterdahl, Heidegger and Mocha, A. Walter Abrao, Max Kaehn, Barbara Becc, Chloe Turner, Jen1701D, Andrew Taylor, Mervi Mustonen, Kimberly M. Lowe, Amanda Nixon, 2-Gun Bill, T. England, Heather Kelly, Darryl M. Wood, Belkis Marcillo, Meredith B, Mark Slauter, Arin Komins, Svend Andersen, Jomelson Co, rissatoo, Misty Massey, Anne Burner, Keith Jones, Jenn Whitworth, Doc Concrescence, Anders Kronquist, Keith West, Future Potentate of the Solar System, Stephanie Cheshire, Ian Harvey, Erin Penn, Beth Lobdell, Khinasidog, Erin Kowalski, Helen Cameron, Kendra Leigh Speedling, Mary-Michelle Moore, Micci Trolio, Amanda Weinstein, Catherine Sharp, K. Gavenman, RKBookman, H. Rasmussen, S Baur, Eagle Archambeault, Keith E. Hartman, Tom Connair, Ivan Donati, Brendan Burke, Paul D Smith, CGJulian, Jeffry Rinkel, Mark F Goldfield, Chuck Hickson, Michelle Palmer, Alexander Smith, Bill Harting, Sean Collins, Paul Alex Gray, Jason Tongier, Pierre, Lark Cunningham, Brenda Cooper, Fen Eatough, Alysia Murphy, Ilene Tsuruoka, Sheryl Ehrlich, Tina Good, Shel Kennon, Judith Mortimore, Breagha, Fred and Mimi Bailey, Robby Thrasher, Rachel Sasseen, Thea Cooke, Peter Bernstorff, Dino Hicks, Margaret S. McGraw, Lace, Erin Himrod, Steven Mentzel, Samuel Lubell, Linda Bruno, Amanda Stein, Julie Holderman, D-Rock, Adam Thompson, Timothy Nakayama, Antonio Carlos Porto, Melinda Seckington, Nirven, Kristin Evenson Hirst, Mick Gall, Missy Katano, Ken Finlayson, Camden, Steven Torres-Roman, Jennifer Della’Zanna, Gretchen Persbacker, Crystal Sarakas, Michele Hall, K. Hodghead, Marla Anderson, Jennifer Berk, Christina Roberts, Steven Halter, R. Hunter, Ken Woychesko, Firestar, Cindy Cripps-Prawak, David Roffey, Coleman bland, Drammar English, Cheryl Losinger, Peter Hansen, Bryan Easton, Deirdre M. Murphy, Zion Russell, Danielle Hinesly, Dana, Jonathan S. Chance, Nick Martell, K. R. Smith, SwordFire, Jennie Goloboy, Chantelle Wilson, Jenni Hamilton, S. E. Altmann, Lara Ortiz de Montellano, Donna Gaudet, Thea Maia, Jamie Ibson, Wendy Kitchens, Sarah FW, Axisor and Mike, John B. McCarthy, Andrew Barton, Gordon Rios, Kerri Regan, M. E. Gibbs, Kelly Melnyk, Greg Vose, Joe Borrelli, The Mystic Bob, Chris Brant, R Kirkpatrick, Marzie Kaifer, Ingrid deBeus