A Deeper Darkness Than Night

The Terran Insularity embraces nearly a third of the Solar System, monopolizing the key resources of the inner planets. For nearly a century, its mining outposts have stripped Venus, Mercury, and the moon; solar collectors harness energy directly from the sun to power their expansion. But now its expansion has stalled.

Beyond the asteroid belt, the descendents of the last Martian colonies are isolated and scattered, plying the empty void between planets. After generations of neglect, the Insularity launched a brutal war of conquest, determined to bring all the children of mankind under their sway. But in the darkness between worlds, their war has reached a stalemate and the two sides face off warily across the void.

Weary of combat, Moral Officer Malthieu Carter watches over the shattered minds of soldiers as his ship seeds the asteroid belt with weapons that could unbalance the precarious peace. A man haunted by the compromises of war, he just wants to save the life of a single man before their mission destroys them -- and all of humankind.

A short story of war, compromise, and the struggle to remain humane in the face of unrelenting conflict.