King Rat

You call me Phil, or Philip.

Though one time in the throws of passion, I was called Darren, but only because Darren has a tendency to be self-centered in bed.

I did not want to go out last night. In fact, last night I was comfortably ensconced on the couch, unwashed and reading the newspaper with a book close at hand. Then Jason came by. Damn him for having a key. We're going out! I'm not going out. Yes you are. No I am not. I don't want to. Come on! We're going out. Put on your kilt. My kilt isn't clean. It doesn't matter, it'll be dark. I don't want to. I can't go to the Noc Noc by myself. I don't want to go out.

Jason is persistent though. Finally just to end the conversation I agreed to go out. Had to shower for it. And I did wear the Utilikilt™. Felt out of sorts the whole night, though it wasn't an unenjoyable evening. Got to talk to Mike's wife Kym for a bit, which I've never done. As well as Amie and Elana. Nice people all.

Was hoping to see Kelly kick the skanky trou-dropping girl's ass. Don't get me wrong. I was glad to see the nudity, because she wasn't wholly unattractive and I am a dirty old man. Wouldn't take her home, but have no problem with looking. And even less problem with watching her get her ass kicked for disregarding Kelly's instruction to get her pants back on. Sadly, it was not to happen. The ass-kicking that is. She did comply even though her friend was a bit belligerent about it.

So now I am home. I got some sleep. Probably need more in an hour. Feeling alone though. But I don't wanna go have breakfast with Sloane like my plan was to do. Just seems like too much effort.

Yeah, it appears to be a nesting phase.

From The Year's Best Science Fiction Twentieth Annual Collection

Breathmoss — Ian R. MacLeod

Boring. Time travel short story. Didn't care for it.

The Most Famous Little Girl in the World — Nancy Kress

Interesting take of the personal effect on the first person to make contact with an alien species. A little girl is lured into a flying saucer and is returned shortly afterward in front of news cameras. She doesn't remember any of it. Her playmate cousin is alternately contemptuous and jealous. Through the years as the aliens return the government sequesters the little girl. Not a bad story, but it did feel like it could have done more.

The Passenger — Paul J. McAuley

Space opera set in a reclamation yard for space ships. A survivor on a ship is found by the reclamation crew, who protect her from the corportation running the yard and who feel she survived because she has valuable technology they could appropriate. Not very interesting.

The Political Officer — Charles Coleman Finlay

This story I liked a lot. It's a spy story set on a space ship in enemy territory running on secret orders. There are three controlling officers on board. The War officer (the ship's captain, in charge of most items and operations), the Intelligence officer (charged with ferretting out enemy plans to target), and the Political Officer (who ultimately decides the mission, and also determines the proper loyalty of the crew). This is the story of the Political Officer, as the title implies. As the story begins, he's portrayed as one might expect someone from the Soviet Union in charge of determining political loyalty. He's an ass. He accuses people of disloyalty to spook them and see what they do, hoping to uncover the traitor he believes exists on the ship. But then his behavior gets more nuanced, and you soon see there's a method to his madness and there really is a traitor on board.