Once Upon a Future Read online

  Table of Contents

  COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

  DEDICATION

  INTRODUCTION, by Robert Reginald

  BEST OF FOOLS: A SIME~GEN STORY, by Jean Lorrah

  BEST-LAID PLANS, by William Maltese

  BOOG’/4 AND THE ENDICARAN KLUGE, by A. R. Morlan

  GAME OVER, by Edward R. Morris

  THE TALISMAN, by Charles Nuetzel

  SAVING JANE AUSTEN, by Robert Reginald

  ALL RIGHTS, by Pamela Sargent

  THE FIRE EGGS, by Darrell Schweitzer

  THE SKIN TRADE, by Brian Stableford

  THE SPACE CITY, by Doru Tătar

  AGENT, by E. C. Tubb

  THE WATER SCULPTOR, by George Zebrowski

  ABOUT THE AUTHORS

  BORGO PRESS ANTHOLOGIES EDITED BY ROBERT REGINALD

  once upon a future

  The third borgo press book of science fiction stories

  robert reginald, Editor

  COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

  Editing Copyright © 2011 by Robert Reginald

  A number of these pieces have been previously published, in whole or in part, and are reprinted by permission of their authors, the authors’ estates, or agent:

  “Introduction: Third of Three,” by Robert Reginald, is published here for the first time. Copyright © 2011 by Robert Reginald.

  “Best of Fools,” by Jean Lorrah, was originally published in The Story Untold and Other Sime~Gen Stories, by Jean Lorrah, Borgo Press, Wildside Press, 2011. Copyright © 2011 by Sime~Gen, Ltd.

  “Best-Laid Plans,” by William Maltese is published here for the first time. Copyright © 2011 by William Maltese.

  “Boog’/4 and the Endicaran Kluge,” by A. R. Morlan, is published here for the first time. Copyright © 2011 by A. R. Morlan.

  “Game Over,” by Edward R. Morris, was originally published in All Possible Worlds #2, Fall 2007. Copyright © 2007, 2011 by Edward R. Morris.

  “The Talisman,” by Charles Nuetzel, was originally published in The Ersatz & The Talisman: Two Tales of an Uncertain Future, by Charles Nuetzel, Borgo Press, 2007. Copyright © 2007, 2011 by Charles Nuetzel.

  “Saving Jane Austen,” by Robert Reginald, was originally published in Katydid & Other Critters: Tales of Fantasy and Mystery, Ariadne Press, 2001; reprinted, with changes, in The Elder of Days: Tales of the Elders, Borgo Press, 2010. Copyright © 2001, 2010, 2011 by Robert Reginald.

  “All Rights,” by Pamela Sargent, was originally published in Amazing Stories, Fall 1994. Copyright © 1994 by TSR Inc.; Copyright © 2011 by Pamela Sargent.

  “The Fire Eggs,” by Darrell Schweitzer, was originally published in Interzone #153, March 2000. Copyright © 2000, 2011 by Darrell Schweitzer.

  “The Skin Trade,” by Brian Stableford, was originally published in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine, November 1995, and reprinted in The Tree of Life and Other Tales of the Biotech Revolution, by Brian Stableford, Borgo Press, 2007. Copyright © 1995, 2007, 2011 by Brian Stableford.

  “The Space City,” by Doru Tătar, translated from the Romanian by Petru Iamandi, was originally published in Almanah Anticipatia, 1991. Copyright © 1991 by Doru Tătar; Copyright © 2011 by Doru Tătar and Petru Iamandi.

  “Agent,” by E. C. Tubb, was originally published in Science Fantasy, June 1955. Copyright © 1955 by E. C. Tubb; Copyright © 2011 by Lisa John.

  “The Water Sculptor,” by George Zebrowski, was originally published as “The Water Sculptor of Station 233” in Infinity No. 1, edited by Robert Hoskins, Lancer Books, 1970. Copyright © 1970 Lancer Books, Inc.; copyright reassigned to the author in 1972; revision Copyright © 1985, 2011 by George Zebrowski.

  * * * *

  Published by Wildside Press LLC

  www.wildsidebooks.com

  DEDICATION

  To the Legacy of Terry Carr—

  And One Memorable Evening

  Spent with him at La Casa del Borgo;

  and

  For Jim Johnson,

  Friend, Writer—and Fellow Sucrosan!

  INTRODUCTION, by Robert Reginald

  “THIRD OF THREE”

  It seemed like such a simple request. My publisher wanted me to put together two anthologies featuring short stories by authors from my Borgo Press list. One of the books would include science fiction tales, and the other mystery pieces. The volumes would be distributed as near-gratis ebooks on the internet, with inexpensive print-on-demand versions as well, to help publicize some of the good folks who were publishing full-length books with us.

  Easy, right? Well, yes and no.

  Getting the material wasn’t at all difficult. I suddenly found myself overwhelmed with quality submissions, both reprints and originals. I quickly adopted a policy of only one story per writer per volume—and still they kept coming! In the end, I received sixty-three tales by sixty-six writers—thirty-seven SF and twenty-six crime stories. The total wordage was enormous. But the books had now become too large. So what to do?

  “Divide them into more workable pieces,” was the suggestion, and so that’s what I’ve done. The SF volume became three separate tomes: Yondering, To the Stars—and Beyond, and Once Upon a Future; and the crime anthology became Whodunit? and More Whodunits, with appropriate linking subtitles.

  * * * *

  This third anthology in the sequence—third of three, so to speak—features another dozen stories of wonder, terror, and exploration.

  Jean Lorrah’s “Best of Friends” is a key tale in the Sime~Gen sequence, being set just after the implementation of the treaty that allowed Simes and Gens to live together peaceably. In “Best-Laid Plans,” by William Maltese, a pair of professional fighters is selected for a new mission—but not the one they thought! A. R. Morlan’s “Boog’/4 and the Endicaran Kluge” is an interesting psychological tale set on a multi-generational space ship to the stars. Edward R. Morris can pronounce “Game Over” only when his protagonist can escape the game world in which he’s trapped.

  Charles Nuetzel’s “The Talisman” demonstrates that “free” is sometimes too high a price to pay for a gift. Patricia Wardon discovers that “Saving Jane Austen” (by Robert Reginald) is not as easy as it sounds. A starving author’s agent discovers a new market for subsidiary sales in Pamela Sargent’s amusing “All Rights.” Darrell Schweitzer’s “The Fire Eggs” just appear one day, everywhere on Earth, but what are they—and what purpose do they serve?

  “The Skin Trade,” by Brian Stableford, is one of a series of tales that explores the future of biotechnology, particularly as applied to the human form. In “The Space City,” by Doru Tătar, Grig investigates the massacre of a group of androids. E. C. Tubb’s “Agent” only wants to make money peddling his clients’ talents, but the licensees desire something entirely different! George Zebrowski’s “The Water Sculptor” fashions sculptures from ice in his isolated satellite home orbiting Earth.

  Special thanks to my friend, Francis Jarman, for helping proof this book.

  —Robert Reginald

  San Bernardino, California

  22 June 2011

  BEST OF FOOLS: A SIME~GEN STORY, by Jean Lorrah

  “Why do you introduce me as Tonyo?” demanded Zhag, Paget’s young protégé. “My name is Tony.”

  “That’s a Gen name,” Zhag replied.

  “In case you hadn’t noticed, I am Gen.”

  “I mean, it’s an out-Territory name,” Zhag explained.

  “In case you hadn’t noticed...,” Tonyo repeated, voice and energy field dripping sarcasm.

  Zhag sighed. “It makes you sound like a Wild Gen.”

  Annoyance resonated in the boy’s field as he threatened, “You want to see wild? Dammit, Zhag, I’m me, you don’t own me, and you
can’t change my identity!” Abruptly he got up and stomped out, a frequent response to their disagreements. Was Tonyo used to someone who wouldn’t listen?

  The Gen went only as far as the woodpile. Zhag picked up his shiltpron and went to sit on the rickety steps of his house. Snatches of melody churned up in his mind, disconnected phrases that would not form a tune. He plucked the notes anyway, knowing that music often soothed away his Gen’s annoyance.

  Tonyo was chopping wood for the cookstove Zhag had never used—the extent of his “cooking” was to make tea over an oil burner. The Sime had learned to avoid disparaging comments about Gens and sharp instruments. He didn’t want to provoke the boy again, but he was relieved when Tonyo carried the wood inside and returned to sit at the other end of the step. Tonyo’s nager—the field of life energy that surrounded all humans, Simes like Zhag and Gens like Tonyo—precisely echoed the notes Zhag played.

  Zhag let go of the senses he shared with Gens, except for hearing, and zlinned the boy with Sime senses. Perhaps Tonyo’s golden field would provide the inspiration to compose something. Anything. Just one more song before he died.

  Or killed.

  Zhag was prepared to die, but if he were to kill again—

  That’s need depression talking, he told himself. The loss of creative energy was the worst effect of Zhag’s chronically unsatisfied need. When Tonyo was nearby—and not frustrated—he could almost...almost...feel normal.

  But normal for Zhag was creating new music, not merely playing at Milily’s Shiltpron Parlor. Since Tonyo had joined him, he frequently felt well enough to improvise—as the Gen was doing now, vocalizing variations around Zhag’s new riff. But Tonyo had not warmed up his voice. He reached for a note—and missed. His field followed his voice out of tune, a jolt to Zhag’s wide open systems. When he next skidded flat, Zhag stopped playing. “Follow your nager with your voice.”

  “What?” Gen confusion.

  “Your nager has perfect pitch,” Zhag explained. “You think of yourself as a singer, Tonyo, but it’s your field Simes ‘listen’ to.”

  “I know that,” the boy said.

  “You know it, but you don’t feel it,” Zhag told him. The way I know I will never kill again, but can’t feel it—can’t trust that I’m not deluding myself.

  “Well, I’m Gen!” Tonyo protested. “I can’t zlin.”

  Zhag searched for words. “When you were listening, your field matched every note—before you started singing.”

  Tonyo pondered. “I was thinking those notes.”

  “That’s it, then, isn’t it?” Zhag suggested. “Follow your inner voice.”

  The Sime played the riff again—then deliberately raised the key. The Gen met the challenge nagerically, but when he tried to follow with his voice, it cracked. He waved a hand. “I know. I’ll get it. Play it again.”

  Zhag did...and Tonyo’s voice sailed up the scale, well above his normal range before it cracked again. Unmindful of Zhag’s wince, the young Gen laughed. “This is wonderful!”

  “Not to me!” Zhag said through gritted teeth. “You’re still thinking about your voice.”

  “But it’s my voice I’m trying to improve,” Tonyo said with impeccable Gen logic...something that theoretically couldn’t happen when he was speaking Simelan. The boy frequently managed to be equally dense in either language.

  Zhag had no words to explain what he could have demonstrated to another Sime. “Try again,” he said, “and...focus on your field instead of your throat.”

  Tonyo echoed the riff in different keys, voice and nager in synch until he ran out of his range and again shredded Zhag’s nageric comfort. Oblivious to the Sime’s reaction, he asked, “What’s the rest of the song? Does it have words?”

  “There isn’t any more,” Zhag told him. “I haven’t been able to compose since—for a long time now. At this time of month it’s not possible anyway.”

  “Maybe after your transfer,” Tonyo suggested. “When’s your appointment?”

  “Day after tomorrow.”

  “No wonder you don’t feel creative.” Tonyo got up, stretching. “We’re out of food.” This close to hard need, the boy’s hunger made Zhag faintly ill.

  “It’s market day,” said the Sime. “Come on—let’s get you something to eat.”

  Zhag had to wonder how he could keep the Gen. It wasn’t so much the risk of having a high-field Gen nearby—Tonyo was as easy to be near as a Householding Companion. But Zhag’s earnings at the shiltpron parlor would not pay his Pen Taxes—Selyn Taxes, as they were called since Unity—and also feed a growing Gen. Until there were new laws, Tonyo was here only as a visitor. Since using up his small supply of money, he was dependent on Zhag...unless he became a selyn donor.

  It was the obvious solution. Tonyo had donated twice before arriving in Norlea, but donating selyn, the life energy that Gens produced and Simes needed to live, would reduce Tonyo’s glorious field. No low-field Gen Zhag had ever zlinned could hold a roomful of Simes spellbound.

  They had been performing together for over a month now, drawing more customers each week. Zhag had wangled a raise out of Milily, but not enough to keep his Gen fed, let alone clothed. The denims he wore today were practically threadbare.

  In the public forum of Norlea’s market, Tonyo kept his nager carefully neutral. Nevertheless, when the boy stopped at a citrus stand Zhag sensed bristling annoyance in Sime customers. Tonyo picked up a lemon—

  “You!” It was Zhag the proprietor addressed. “Make your Gen stop squeezing the fruit!”

  Feeling outrage rolling off Tonyo, Zhag stepped between him and the vendor, saying, “He’s not my property.”

  Zhag won a smile from Tonyo—but sneers from nearby Simes. One muttered, “Don’t look like Householders,” for Zhag referred to Tonyo with the pronoun for a male Sime...as, despite protests, he called the boy by the Simelan version of his name.

  Zhag said, “Tonyo is a guest in Gulf Territory. Under the law he has the same rights as a Sime.”

  “Shenned Tecton law!” said a woman in bright calico. “Can’t kill Gens anymore, but we don’t have to live with ’em!”

  Mutters of agreement were backed with nageric static. Tonyo, wide-eyed but with his field under tight control, put the fruit back and edged away.

  Zhag shared the boy’s consternation: there were always Gens in Norlea’s streets. Usually they were ignored, but today the ambient nager rang with hostility. These juncts didn’t care where the boy came from—to them he was need denied.

  Life denied.

  Zhag had not killed for far longer than most Simes, nor did he want to. He had chosen another way two years before Tonyo wandered into Milily’s and brought that shining nager to brighten Zhag’s ever-bleaker existence.

  Simes always gravitated toward Tonyo, but usually it was a positive response. The only Gens his age they saw were breeders on the Genfarms, Companions in the Householdings, or the few living with disjunct or nonjunct families. Until very recently, most in-Territory Gens were raised on Genfarms, sold for the kill as soon as they began producing selyn...and never allowed to learn Gen defenses against Sime attack.

  While many Simes wished nothing had changed, most acknowledged that it had to: even by capturing Wild Gens, Sime Territory governments could not provide sufficient kills. Raids across the border brought retaliatory strikes by the Gen army. If nothing changed, eventually all the Gens would be killed...and the remaining Simes would die.

  There was a solution: Simes called channels could take selyn from Gens without hurting them, and transfer it to other Simes so they did not have to kill. But for those addicted to the kill—the vast majority of Simes alive today—channel’s transfer meant never knowing true satisfaction again.

  And...it meant an early death.

  Zhag trailed Tonyo through the market. As long as his Gen was near, he could avoid feeling life draining heartbeat by heartbeat. But his comfort was an illusion—he would never draw Tonyo’s selyn, unless th
e boy became a Companion in a Householding. If he were ever tempted to attack the untrained boy...one or both of them would die. What a shidoni-doomed choice: to satisfy his selyn needs, he must give up the musical partner of a lifetime. But he had so little time—how could he part with the one thing that made life tolerable?

  Besides, Tonyo had come to Gulf Sime Territory in pursuit of music. The way he told it, when he donated at Keon, the Householding near the north territory border, they had done everything short of locking him in a killroom to make him stay. So he had avoided Norlea’s Householding, Carre.

  Tonyo stopped at the stand run by the local Genfarm. Here he was waited on by another Gen, a breeder male by the look of it, well fed, strong, and alert enough to total prices with an abacus. The local farm produced healthy Gens. Prime kills.

  But those days were over. For now, the Genfarmer could sell his Gens’ selyn. But if, as the Tecton wanted and everyone else feared, Gens were made free citizens of Gulf Territory, they would be paid for their own selyn. The Genfarmer would lose his means of earning a living.

  Verl, the Genfarmer, was a patron of Milily’s—but while he might appreciate Tonyo’s performance, Zhag could zlin that he didn’t like him acting as good as a Sime.

  Tonyo chose the cheapest goods, but still had too little to cover the cost. If Milily would pay Tonyo—

  Well, that was not going to happen. The boy counted out his coins, and Zhag handed him as much as he dared put toward Tonyo’s keep. The boy understood Selyn Taxes; he knew Zhag was not holding out.

  With a frown, Tonyo set aside nut butter and cheese. Zhag said, “You require protein, Tonyo.”

  “Pasta and rice are cheaper,” the boy said. “I’ll go fishing tomorrow—cook and eat ’em down by the river, so you don’t have to zlin it.”

  But you’ll be gone for hours! Zhag forced down panic. Tonyo’s field unconsciously locked onto his own, soothing and steady. “That’s...a good idea,” Zhag managed.