The Man Who Found Birds Among the Stars, Part One

Robbin Haysus Nikalishin was born on 31 October of the year 2729 and ultimately became the first starship Captain to make contact with extraterrestrials. This fictionalized biography, composed 50 years after Nikalishin's death, recounts the first 31 years of the life of a man who is hailed as one of Earth's greatest heroes. During this portion of his life he enjoyed many triumphs, joys, and loves, but he was not immune to failure and tragedy. In 2761 a major space disaster completely changes the course of his life. Whether it will be for better or worse is left for the reader to decide. All heroes are human beings and all human beings are flawed, and the man the Earth came to know as "Capt. Robbie" was a very human man.