This is a love story, the last of a series of moments when we meet. Saki Jones leaned into the viewport window until her nose nearly touched the glass, staring at the colony planet below. New Mars. From this distance, she could pretend that things were going according to plan—that M.J. was waiting for her in one of the domed cities. A shuttle would take her down to the surface and she and her lifelove would pursue their dream of studying a grand alien civilization. It had been such a beautiful plan.

2019 Nebula Award Finalists 2020 Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award Finalists Illustrated by Reiko Murakami Nebula Award Finalists Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award Finalists