Sometimes, when you write sci-fi, you just want to have fun. Sol is fun.
Once upon a time, sci-fi was different than it is today. We were more innocent. We didn't know how unlikely it was that there would be other humanoid civilizations out there. We thought, with a little applied technology, it would be easy to jump from system to system, in much the same way as we fly from country to country today. Everyone would be able to speak English to each other. We'd all be one big happy Federation, or Empire, or Republic, or whatever.
Today we're a bit wiser, and don't necessarily subscribe to such things. But on a basic level, many of us yearn for a simple universe, where life takes on a fairy-tale simplicity, and good stories can be told in a predictable setting. Sol is such a story.
Sure, you can point to Star Wars as inspiration for stories like this... but you should be looking further out than that. Even further than Star Trek. Try Perry Rhodan. Try Flash Gordon. Try Dan Dare.
Then look back inward, because this story also takes into account actual UFO folklore. It deals with the familiar realities of mixing cultures and languages, and the stratification that often results in multiple groups living under one flag. There are strange aliens with funny-sounding names, there are relationships, there is political intrigue, there is a race of humanoids descended from birds, and there's a cat with a yard-wide mouth hoping to take a bite out of someone.
But here's something you might not have expected: Man is not at the top of the alien heap. That's right, we're just one more race among dozens... and as it turns out, we're no great shakes. Except in one area: Building things. Yes, with our wonderful opposable digits, Man has proven that he can outbuild the best of them, and for that, we get the awesome title of "greasemonkeys to the stars!"
Yes, even "fluff" sci-fi shouldn't be that predictable. And Sol has plenty of surprises.
The Workblacks, the "go to guys" of my story, were originally conceived of in college: They represent the first line of space travelers, part explorer, part worker, part warrior, independent and resourceful. In short, textbook heroes. Even better, they're considered the underdogs of the story, members of a race that's looked down upon by most of the Union. And who doesn't love underdog heroes—especially when you know you're one of them? Like Berserker, Sol and the Workblacks are considered to be part of an open-ended series. Will more stories be written? It all depends on what responses I get from Sol. If you've got an opinion, please let me know.
See you in the funny papers.
Copyright © Steve Jordan. All rights reserved.
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