Free Stars Rain Down by Chris J. Randolph

chased each other in every direction, burping fire at one another as they careened about and fought for position.
    Charlie and Lisa were understandably uncomfortable in the vehicle, while Nikitin was—beyond all sense or reason—having the time of his life. Behind them, Ferash and Dojer held their weapons at ready in case of unwanted followers. It was anyone’s guess how effective their weapons would be, but Dojer’s cannon was better than nothing at all.
    The young city Yuon Kwon loomed in the distance, reminding Jack of the flying saucers in every old, cheesy horror movie. The last thing he ever expected was for aliens to show up in actual saucers, yet there they were.
    A cuttlefish burst into flames above them and plummeted out of the sky, leaving a trail of burning debris in Felix’s path. It reminded Jack this wasn’t a movie; it was real life, and he was in the middle of a very real battle.
    â€œI know I’ve put you through a lot, but if you could go just a little faster, I’d really appreciate it,â€

Chapter 51:
Symphony
    Jack mysteriously found himself alone, standing in a circular room ringed with windows, revealing nothing but whiteness beyond. The floor and ceiling were perfectly reflective, creating a vertical hall of mirrors with Jack trapped in the middle.
    He was confused, and getting a little tired of it.
    â€œHello,â€

Chapter 52:
The Quiet
    Amira Saladin stopped firing as the humongous alien disc flew overhead and filled the sky. Its passing was followed by a pressure wave that knocked everyone—human and alien alike—off their feet. At the same time, all of the shiny metallic bubbles disappeared from around her opponents, leaving them unshielded. Something was happening. Something important.
    â€œWhat’s going on?â€

Chapter 53:
Aftermath
    Marcus Donovan and Vijay Rao walked down a wide, blue-green street overflowing with activity. There was so much foot traffic that Marcus could hardly see a few feet in front of him. It was another fine example of humanity’s ability to cope in even the most dire of circumstances, and it impressed him and Legacy to no end.
    Four months had passed since the Battle of the Ark, which unexpectedly ended with both sides withdrawing. The strange events at the end left the humans and Oikeyans equally vulnerable and confused, and retreat was the only option that made any sense. A tense cease-fire followed.
    â€œWho could’ve expected this?â€

Sixty-Seven
    All beneath the heavens call my Tao great.
Because of its greatness, it seems strange,
But if it weren’t strange, it would’ve faded long ago.
    There are but three treasures I cherish and cling to:
The first is mercy, the second economy,
And the third is indifference to winning.
From mercy arises courage; from economy, generosity;
From humility, the power to effect change.
    These days, men belittle mercy, yet celebrate courage;
They forget economy while exercising generosity;
They cast aside humility and always strive to be first.
Thus do they court their downfall.
    Through mercy, struggles can be surmounted,
And defenses made impenetrable.
This is how the universe preserves and protects.

About the author:
    Chris J. Randolph (hey, that’s me!) is a writer, futurist and possible killer robot originally from Redwood City, CA. When not talking about himself in the third person, he’s usually writing about fictional people who pilot spaceships, fight dinosaurs and seduce green women... and somewhat less often about green women who pilot dinosaurs, fight people and seduce spaceships.
    His other interests include linguistics, cooking, video games and digital publishing advocacy. He’s the proud recipient of several literary awards he made up himself, and he currently resides in Rocklin, CA, with a family who somehow puts up with his shenanigans. He hopes to someday own his own tropical