AUTHOR NOTES

I know I called it a short story, but clocking in at 13,000 words, a Novella would have been more accurate.

This story came to life to be a newsletter hook, back when I was still trying to do things the 'right' way. I was surprised at just how much punch I managed to pack in here for something that was never originally part of the greater story.

I mentioned the Fallow Fields in passing the first book, just as a way of showing that the problems with Guardian's was not a one off thing, but then when I decided I needed that hook story, that I could really delve into it, and I asked myself;

'What if the Guardian didn't react like Exo? What if it didn't turn to violence and paranoia? And for that matter, why is this happening now?'

I had had many ideas for how to answer that why, but somehow this one felt the most correct to me. My greater story arc originally had the Guardian's being the result of trade with an advanced alien species, only the Guardian's were more of a Trojan Horse sort of deal. However, the more I wrote about the Guardians, the more that felt... gimmicky?

We stand on the threshold of some civilization changing technological advances in our own day, why would we need an alien race to get that far?

Who knows, maybe I'll revisit that later, and I do have aliens in the saga, two races actually, and they fit roles which originally had been much larger, so honestly they represent holdovers of the original vision.

But I like it this way better. The trouble we face is of our own making, and as the author, that suits me just fine.

And rest assured, you will see Xavier and Io station again, oh boy will you.

Haven't decided about Leena yet. I really liked her as a character, and it would be fun to see her show up again, maybe at some epic moment, but the strings of the storyline will dictate that. Maybe her thread finds its way back, or maybe it lost in the tangle. We shall see.