io9 proudly presents fiction from Lightspeed Magazine on a monthly basis, featuring a story from the current issue. This month’s selection is “It Holds Her in the Palm of One Hand” by Lowry Poletti, part one of two. Stay tuned for part two next week and enjoy the captivating tale.
On the planet Miphre, where jagged mountaintops pierce through the clouds, small ecosystems thrive in the palms of their hands. Rock eels, ribbon mosses, and seabirds with rodents make their homes in these rocky fingers. When Sun, a crew member on The Cyclops Cradles Her Sheep, questions the captain’s knowledge of the planet’s wildlife, she finds herself drawn into a world of wonder and discovery.
As they await the arrival of a flock of Gastor on Miphre, Sun and her mentor Dossa witness the magnificent creatures soaring through the sky. The sight of the flock, with its new pilot-bird and young hatchling, fills Sun with a mix of awe and dread. She realizes the weight of responsibility that comes with caring for these majestic creatures and wonders about her own future as a pilot.
Returning to her ship, Messina’s Third Daughter, Sun prepares to visit her beloved bird in its chamber. The unique bond between pilot and bird is evident as Sun navigates the zero-gravity environment and gazes upon her feathered companion. As she contemplates the complexities of the gastor species and the role of pilot-birds, Sun grapples with her own feelings of duty and compassion towards these wild and wondrous creatures.