Devi follows orders, even if she hates them. Like her orders for this mission: pilot a single ship—The Matilda—on a fact-finding mission in the middle of a war zone.

Despite Matilda’s apparent fondness for Devi, Devi feels the opposite about working with the sentient ship.

But as pilot and ship approach their target—a large CeaWayLaV warship—the pair discovers their inability to function as a bonded team threatens not only their mission but also the entire war with the CeaWayLaV.

Chosen by the readers of Asimov’s SF Magazine as one of the best stories of the year.

“Matilda,” by Hugo Award-winning author Kristine Kathryn Rusch, is free on this website for one week only. The story’s also available as an ebook through various online retailers here. 

Matilda

Kristine Kathryn Rusch

The free story will be available for one week only. If you missed this one, click on the links above. There’s another free story lurking somewhere around the site. Track the story down, read, and enjoy!