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herself the incredibly ancient ruins of one of the long-vanished Antecessor Species. In her sixteen standard years, Annie had lived on two worlds and traversed the incredibly vast gulf between them via an interstellar-capable ship. She knew it was silly to pine for space travel when, for the vast majority of all of human history, such things had been impossible and unknown.
    Yet, as silly as it was, in her heart Annie wanted to go back to space. She didn’t know when or how, exactly, but she knew she would find a way. As if to confirm her desire, far to the north she saw the unmistakable glow and fiery plume of a ship lifting off, ascending into the night sky and the endless depths of space beyond. Her eyepiece told her the ship was the MV Atago Maru, registered on the Concordiat colony of Nippon. A diagram of the ship appeared before her right eye. It was a fat, blunt monster with airfoils symmetrically poking out of its hull, and stood eighty-three meters tall on its landing jacks. Annie didn’t know where it was going, but she found herself wishing she was aboard it.
    An electronic chirp interrupted Annie’s wistful pondering. Her mom was calling. She accepted the call, and a small video image of her mother appeared on her eyepiece. “Hi Mom,” Annie said.
    “Hi honey. Where are you?”
    “I’m up on the south ridge with Sparkles. I was just watching the sunset. Is Dad home yet?”
    “He just called. He’s on his way. I guess he had kind of a rough day, so I’m going to make a nice dinner. How’s meatloaf sound?”
    Annie’s stomach growled. As she often did, she lost track of time while out on the lone prairie with Sparkles. It had been hours since she’d eaten lunch. “I’ll come straight home, Mom. I’ll be there in about an hour.”
    “Okay, dear. Be careful.”
    Annie smiled at her mother’s doting, as if she couldn’t handle herself out on the range. “See you later, Mom. Love you.” Ending the call, Annie stood up, dusted off her jeans, and took one last, long gaze into the sky full of stars.
    Sparkles lifted her head in concern at a chorus of yipping, crying, and yelping from off in the darkness somewhere. Coyotes.
    “I hear ’em, girl,” Annie said, grabbing her varmint carbine. The coyotes in Laredo Territory could be aggressive sometimes, especially to a lone horse with a lonely girl on her back. “Come on, we’d better get home.” Annie stuck a foot into a stirrup and pulled herself up into the saddle.
    Sparkles whinnied in agreement, and the two turned for home at a quick trot.
    * * *
    Annie’s eyepiece had rudimentary night vision capability, but she didn’t need it on such a clear night, even to keep watch for critters. The open desert was brightly lit by the twin moons, and Annie was able to ride Sparkles home using her own two eyes. As she crested the last ridge, the Winchester family ranch came into view below. Their single-story, prefabricated home was efficient and modern. Her parents had added onto it over the years, including a shade for her father’s armored police vehicle (which was too tall to fit into the garage) and her mother’s workshop. The roof was covered with solar panels and a backup radioisotope thermoelectric generator provided extra power if needed. There was no electrical grid in this part of Laredo Territory.
    Next to the house stood a prefabricated barn where the Winchesters kept their few livestock. Annie guided Sparkles down the ridge, and led her into the barn. Once she had gotten the mare unsaddled, fed, and put in her stall, she slung her carbine over her shoulder and headed into the house.
    Annie’s stomach growled as the wonderful smell of her mother’s cooking filled her nose. The whole house smelled of meatloaf, potatoes, and baking bread. Her mom didn’t cook often, but when she did, she went all out. “I’m home, Mom!” she announced, unloading the 4.5mm caseless carbine she carried.
    “Your father will be home soon, honey,” her mom