City Without Suns

The difficulties in finding a new planet were anticipated for many years. Competition from intelligent alien life, human cruelty and infighting, and even insanity were all among the many adversities with mitigation plans.

It was just too long to be out there in a place they were not meant to be. Even those who knew it had to try anyway in search of destiny. It was an appointment that could be escaped by no other means than to carry it out. Their transcendent cause far outweighed any fear of failure or death, but the sentiment did not last indefinitely. The new ones had to be taught. The old ones lost their way.

As their capabilities faded into obscurity, some things did not change. The quest for love and belonging, the desire for self-esteem, and the need for safety, whether real or imagined, did not change out there. Neither did abuse of power and conflicting interests. The spaceships, no matter how enormous, provided only a finite ecosystem with limited supplies, which would last long enough only if used wisely.

One Earth girl, Isla, finds herself in a life she did not anticipate. Her gifts carry her deep into the journey. Her friends carry her further. Her family is determined to take her to the end, but which end will they meet? Is the destination really there, and is her legacy strong enough to pull the survivors through space and time to find it?