Parallel Lines

These five short Science Fiction stories are related to each other by the conflicts between species, machinery and / or technology. Located on the Earth, the moon, Io and two distant worlds orbiting very different stars, politics, religion, ignorance and greed make them seem all too familiar. In "All the King's Men" a Marine Gunnery Sergeant stationed on an alien world uncovers a conspiracy that could take not only her life and the lives of her men, but could change the complexion of the rest of the known galaxy. Torn from the pages of the news, "Dog Tags" describes a new technology becoming abusive. Instead of freeing mankind from the fear of kidnapping, the need to carry money or personal information, it is being used to control lives. What is the common link between a volcano in the green jungles of South America and its namesake on the sulfur-yellow plains of Io? In "Tapan Patera" a man discovers that chants, incantations and sacrifice to appease the gods can still be used today as in the olden days. When foreign objects come crashing down on the heads of unsuspecting, peaceful beings, the stage is set for belligerent rulers to fight back and get more than even. Caution In "Let He Who is Innocent Cast the First Stone", throwing rocks can be detrimental to your health. In "The Pirate, the Queen and the Apprentice" a story is uncovered on a far away, dead planet, about a pirate king braving the wild, bounding sea to wrest a life away from the authority of conflicting religious leaders. He sings songs of lost loves and found hates for the entertainment of his crew.