Crewkin

  EPICon 2012 FINALIST
Crewkin

Author: Rhobin L. Courtright

Genre: Sci-fi space opera

Release: February 1, 2011

Editor: Christine I. Speakman

Line Editor: Penny Ehrenkranz

Cover Artist: Delilah K. Stephans

Word count: 93,808

Pages: 284

ISBN: 978-1-926931-28-9

E-book price: $5.95

Warning: Mild sexual content

Blurb: 

Born and bred to be crewkin, Renna is devastated by the death of her ship and her kin. When her company’s medical department advises the few remaining survivors to commit suicide and join their kin in death, Renna refuses. Knowing she can never join another crewkin, she seeks a berth on one of the short-haul shippers running cargo hauls between the planets. Integration into ‘norm’ crew seems impossible until she joins the crew of the Vagrant Spirit. Her captain seems as desperate for any capable crewman as Renna is for a ship’s position. This job, this journey will propel her into a new world.

There is nothing so true as change is inevitable. Rumours of a new engine capable of thrusting a ship greater distances in a fraction of the time a crewkin ship takes, threatens Markham Company’s business. There is only one thing left to do—get rid of the evidence, the last survivor, and anyone else who threatens discovery.

Excerpt: 

…2178.347-17:34 universal space-time…mission status…systems failure…initial test terminated…manual shutdown in progress...

Renna felt as lifeless as Sen’s cold body on the bed next to her. She packed her possessions in her travel bag with careful precision. They were few enough. Everything else belonged to the ship, or the crewkin as a whole, so reverted to Markham Company. Renna didn’t care. She needed no reminders. The vision of the bodies of her kin, removed one after another from this hospital room promised memory enough.

“You can't survive.” The doctor echoed Sen's last warning.

A glance showed the doctor, leaning against the door, watching her, waiting. She didn’t know his name. He never identified himself. Another anonymous Markham employee, dressed in a Markham medical uniform, as foreign to her as everyone else.

Years of ingrained prohibitions prevented the response screaming inside. She controlled her voice. “You recommend I join Sen, join my crew?” Like you and your staff encouraged her? Helped her? A final joining? Bastard. Renna closed her bag.

Truth struck her. I don’t want to. I’m afraid of dying. Coward. She couldn’t look at Sen, loyally joined with her dead kin.

“Where will you go? You are genetically unfit to live planet-side and mentally unprepared to interact with another ship's crew. Crewkin are longhaulers, not shortrunners. We recommend a final joining because we know you won't fit in.”

Renna looked around the windowless, beige room, now mostly empty, with her kin and their hospital beds removed. Only Sen’s and her beds remained. Sleeping alone in a bed had seemed so strange. Perhaps another unspoken means to encourage her kin to their final joining? Although her eyes burned, she held no more tears.

“My problem, doctor.” Me, mine, my, such strange pronouns after we, ours, and us—now unimportant, like everything else.

Renna snapped the closures on her bag and turned to the door. He remained, relaxed against the doorframe.

“The staff understands your pain, no matter what you think. I've seen kin like you before. You’re conditioned to survive within your own society. Believe me, we only want to provide for your needs, for your comfort.”

Renna looked away, escaping his gaze. No. Not me. Her kin, her future, her known existence ended with Markham3’s failure, yet she refused the doctor’s cure. In the awkward silence, she left. He didn’t move as she passed. She sidled around him to prevent any touch. He huffed, shaking his head in unvoiced comment on her defiance.

Hospital staff and other Markham employees watched her. They stared as she made her way through headquarters. She felt their gazes follow her departure, ushered by a wave of quiet crashing behind her in hushed exchanges. The skin of her neck itched, expecting Dom Dukan’s disapproval. His reprimand already rang through her mind. “The Dom represents Markham3 Crew. To attract attention to Renna defiles our kin. We are preeminent among ships; we strive to excel, anything else is unprofessional. Seeking recognition belonging to the whole kin makes you less. More like unreliable shortrunners.”

Renna swallowed the painful gasp swelling in her throat, ignoring those regarding her exit. Good kin performed joining before committing the heresy of desertion, so Markham taught. Their notice made her exit a judgment.

Renna stopped before the massive plasmetal hatch disguised as elaborate carved doors defining the Markham Company boundary. Through a transparent section of the gate, Renna watched the norms crowding the space station’s causeway. A memory of walking with her kin out of this portal flashed before her. They had left as a group. All dressed in their neat tan utility suits. All heads bore the same short blond hair, except for her. Dom Dukan demanded her head remain shaved to eliminate her unkin colored hair. She swiped her scalp, felt the prickle of growth and swore to never again cut whatever grew. He could do nothing about her dom-matching height, or her colorless eyes. Markham Company had deemed his request to change her eye color frivolous.

The automatic portal to the astroport opened, closed, and opened again while she hesitated. Her kin had found leaving the Markham3 difficult; leaving Markham territory terrified them. Safe among her kin, Renna remembered her excitement for the chance to explore the space station alive with so much noise, so much color. Stepping through the doors, she remembered, how upon returning, Dom Dukan refused to leave Markham property again. She quashed the memory, refusing to look back. She would never return, no matter what.

Now everything looked gray. The resonance in the port swallowed individual sounds forming a cacophony of white noise, which created an odd noise construction of silence. Unfamiliar smells permeated the air, mixing into a repugnant strange atmosphere. The difference divorced her from any response as effectively as the hatch closing behind her severed her from her past life.

With steady steps she headed for the station’s main concourse.

She focused on the people. Some stood, turning their head to read signage looking for their direction. Others talked in small groups. Often a jagged burst of laughter erupted around them. Still others rushed, carrying, pulling or pushing packages, crates, or luggage.

People…strangers...norms, no matter what you called them...they crowded, jostled, and shouted in fast flung sounds she didn’t understand. Each one appeared different in shape, size, color, and clothing. Their smell curled within her nose. Each seemed at once both self-absorbed and attentive, threading through one another’s journey with little interest in other travelers. So different.

Alongside the concourse, trams stopped or left with accompanying tumult. Station communications broadcasted throughout the station from multiple AV ports. Shock and fear hit her anew, alone among so many. She froze in place, closed her eyes, and ignored her inner turmoil. You’re a Speaker; dealing with norms is your special domain, your duty. Another perverse inner voice shouted, Not like this! She clamped down on her panic and took a deep breath. You can do this. Don’t react. Don’t feel.

Reviews:

I must rave about this book. Once I picked it up and started to read it I just could not stop. Of course, I had to put it aside a few times, it is a fairly long book, but always, I would do so reluctantly, and I was ever impatiently eager to get back to the adventure. This is a highly original story with a likable, if misfit cast of characters. NIGHT OWL SCI-FI 5/5...READ FULL REVIEW

MEET THE AUTHOR

Customer Reviews:

In thinking of Renna, the main character of Crewkin, I find that she shares the characteristics of two of my favorite science-fiction characters: Susan Calivin of the Asimov robot stories (book not movie) and Seven of Nine from Star Trek voyager. In this book Renna, the sole surviving member of a Crewkin pod, a family group genetically bred as long haul space crew essentially owned by the Markham Corporation, and treated as property, must find a way to communicate with an increasingly sentient ships computer and find a way to get it to return control of the ship to its crew. rnrnMeanwhile, she must fit in with a non-Crewkin ship's crew which seems terribly undisciplined and alien to Renna, but no less so than she seems to them. rnrnThis is excellent old school science fiction with action, adventure and just the right touch of speculation about future society. Mostly, it is a story about fitting in and finding your own place in the universe. Top notch science fiction.

I was very excited after reading the first quarter of this book. Original concept, very well-written. Renna is a great character, who has to change herself from a cookie-cutter clone into a fully actualized human being. The idea of cloned humans bred and trained to be a starship crew is excellent.rnrnThe rest of the crew of the Vagrant Spirit were totally believable. I love when I have a movie running in my head as I read. I could easily picture Jake, Zak, Ezry, Cutter, Lock, and (I love this name!) Ship Dog. I had a vivid image of the ship and crew. I rejoiced as Renna turned from Kin to Norm, and even fell in love. Wonderful transition of a character's development.rnrnThen the middle slowed to a snail's pace. I really like this book, but wish about 10-20K words were cut. It became somewhat repetitious through the 1/3 to 2/3 part of the book. I can't be too specific, because I don't like to write spoiler reviews, but I just wanted to say "hey, I know that. Let's move on!"rnrnBut the last third picked up nicely and I ended with a positive view of Ms. Courtright's writing. Yes, I'll buy more of her books.rnrnIt's great to read true scifi. Yes, there's a love affair in it, but this ain't your usual SF Romance, where the romance outweighs the SF. The technical detail is stunning and ran true.rnrnSuper job, Ms. Courtright, just super.rn

Absolutely wonderful read. The characters were alive and real. The story was unique and interesting.The end wrapped things up nicely. rnrnGreat start to a series. I'm looking forward to more.rnrnThank you for an adventure beyond the stars.

Great writing. Rhobin crafts her story will amazing skill and insight. Her characters develop and the lines between reality and sci fi blur. Rhobin takes us on their journey into uncharted dangers with compelling writing. A rivetting novel.

In one word: excellent.rnrnLike any new author, it takes me a few pages to catch up to the writer's voice and how she sculpts her story.rnrnbut I'm only 20 pages into this one and I can tell this is going to be big.rnrnRhobin creates real characters right out of the box, no cardboard cutouts or ckliches. She manages the story like a master craftsman.rnrnHeinlein would be proud.

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