The planet Naratu is dying. The only thing keeping the Mujai people from extinction is aerosolizing gold into the atmosphere.
Ayathestiâcompassionate, perfectionist, loner, a geneticist. She accompanies the team on the 87 year flight. Her task? To isolate and collect DNA from an indigenous species to gene splice with their own. To create a hybrid species. The purpose? To establish a localized colony to supply gold as needed. But having a compassionate heart leaves Aya with an inner conflict: show mercy and prevent the enslavement of a new species or ensure her peopleâs survival?
Things grow more complicated with Tiamet as mission leader. Being in charge has challenges of its own, including making sure everyone is moving toward the same goal. And keeping up with changes as they arise has him juggling priorities. Given his history with Ayathesti, heâs confident he can get her on board to do her part.
If Naratu is to survive, both need to do their job. While Ayathesti wrestles her sense of right and wrong, Tiamet faces pressure of leading a successful mission. Both struggle the pull drawing them together. Will there be enough time on the brief visit to a planet they call Earth?
The planet Naratu is dying. The only thing keeping the Mujai people from extinction is aerosolizing gold into the atmosphere.
Ayathestiâcompassionate, perfectionist, loner, a geneticist. She accompanies the team on the 87 year flight. Her task? To isolate and collect DNA from an indigenous species to gene splice with their own. To create a hybrid species. The purpose? To establish a localized colony to supply gold as needed. But having a compassionate heart leaves Aya with an inner conflict: show mercy and prevent the enslavement of a new species or ensure her peopleâs survival?
Things grow more complicated with Tiamet as mission leader. Being in charge has challenges of its own, including making sure everyone is moving toward the same goal. And keeping up with changes as they arise has him juggling priorities. Given his history with Ayathesti, heâs confident he can get her on board to do her part.
If Naratu is to survive, both need to do their job. While Ayathesti wrestles her sense of right and wrong, Tiamet faces pressure of leading a successful mission. Both struggle the pull drawing them together. Will there be enough time on the brief visit to a planet they call Earth?
Is this really the new identity of my life? Savior of our species? I donât know if my heart can take it. The walls of the Zeyo fade back into focus as my thoughts quiet under the pounding of my heart, and the low murmur of the atmosphere grows to full volume around me.
âAya!â
The glass near my mouth fogs with my sigh when a shrill, twangy voice pierces the hum of conversation in the local lounge. A shiver crawls up my spine in the instant I realize Iâm about to drown in the entirety of todayâs gossip.
Nineveh approaches the bar where I sit. âDid you hear about Tiamet?â With a graceful swoop, she slides a wooden stool from under the bar and sits atop the velvety scarlet cushion.
Thinking only of The Councilâs decision, which will change every aspect of my life, Iâm slow to answer with an unenthusiastic âWhat?â
After placing the strap of her bag on a hook underneath the glassy granite counter, she looks at me with beaming eyes. âThey selected him to lead the expedition!â She pinches her glossed strawberry lips together in a smile, her shoulders shaking with a suppressed giggle.
Though her comment evokes a proper stiffness through my entire body, I maintain my feigned disinterest on the subject. âExpedition?â I ask, staring at my glass on the countertop, arms folded against the padded edge, my voice hoarse from lack of use throughout the day.Â
Iâve had a thing for Tiamet ever since we attended The Academy of Science Advancement, or TASA, if you will. The thought of working closely with him turns my stomach over itself, threatening to tie in knots.
Nineveh swats at the air, rolling her juniper eyes. âOh, stop it! You know . . . the expedition! On that planet to find an indigenous race to breed with!â
With a nod and a smile toward the bartender, I prop my glass between my fingertips. Another round. I wouldnât say Iâm a regular at the lounge, but I frequent enough for them to know my usual drink. My gaze sweeps across the mirror behind the bar, illuminated by amber lights embedded into the glass shelves where various bottles rest. To my left is the entrance, hidden behind a wall that separates the lavatory hallway from everything else. Just left of that is a pony wall separating the entrance from the crushed velvet sofas around a low glass table. Single-light chandeliers dangle over the wooden tables, whose surfaces showcase natural curves in the grain.
The same dark marble as the bar counter is infused into them, following these patterns like a black river carving its way through an underground cavern. The ceiling showcases a dark finish, garnished with tiny white lights to mimic the night sky. The same amber lights in the bar shelves wrap around the room to tie everything together.
âIâm thrilled youâre privy to all this rather useless information, Nineveh, but we wonât actually breed with them . . .â I donât mean to sound condescending, but the uncertainty of how to drive the conversation away from Tiamet gets the better of me.Â
Nineveh folds her arms, wrinkling her freckled nose. âCome on! I know deep down youâre thrilled.â Her bubbly demeanor is constantly teetering over a line between being amusing and irritating.
âI didnât know they would select him as director, but I had my suspicions he would be going.â After lifting a new glass to eye level, I observe the light refraction of the caramel fluid inside before pressing the rim to my lips, letting it slip through them.
âYou donât sound very excited,â she says with a look of disapproval.
I raise my eyebrows as a silent request to know when sheâd ever seen me excited.Â
She grips my arm and shakes it gently. âI was certain youâd jump at the news since youâre going too.â
I hold back a grin and roll my eyes. It must be all she can do to keep from jumping up and down herself.
âYouâre going too?â Tiametâs voice rings in my ears from behind as he approaches. My heart rattles to a stop at his question. He places himself diagonally from Nineveh and me, leaning against his hands on the edge of the countertop.
âNot by choice,â I snap, building my defensive walls higher. âI am completely against creating a hybrid race for this.â With another sip, my fingertips collect the condensation from the outside of the glass before I rest it in my hands against the counterâs glassy surface.
Discomfort closes in when Nineveh pulls her stool closer to mine, the sweet smell of plums and roses infiltrating my senses. âOh, come on, Aya! We get to save our planet and do none of the heavy lifting.â
âHow cool is that? We will be heroes!â Tiamet places his hands on his hips in a heroic pose, looking toward the ceiling.
I roll my eyes. Why wonât anybody around me listen? âYouâre acting like itâs some big joke,â I mumble.
âCome now, Aya, donât be like that. At least explain to your friends why youâre so against it.â Tiamet nods, motioning a hand to Nineveh and the other toward himself. âWeâve heard your argument presented at council, but I can tell thereâs something more.â He hides a chuckle in his voice, in that teasing manner I never seem to be in the mood to tolerate.
âItâs no laughing matter. Itâs cruel. Case closed.â It takes all my strength to avoid looking at him, but as he leans his forearm against the bar, pulling a stool underneath him, I canât help but glance. His wide palm is balled into a loose fist, sending his arm into a flex.
Heâs got that look in his eyeâthe one where he knows he can get a rise out of me. âWell, you act as if you donât even want us to survââ
âOf course I want us to survive!â I hiss through my teeth. âTo think otherwise is idiotic . . . But creating a new race to do our dirty work? Are we too good to get our hands in the mud and collect the gold ourselves?â I slam my glass on the countertop. âCreating a sentient being for enslavement to fit our agenda is wrong, and Iâm not convinced The Council has exhausted all other options before going this route! Their creationist, entitled outlook on the entire ordeal makes me sick.â I slowly breathe out. Calm down. Iâve got to calm down.
Tiamet closes his eyes, shaking his head. âAyathesti, they wonât be intelligent enough to know the difference. Besides, weâll just let them be once we have what we need, so theyâre not exactly âslaves.â Theyâre just . . . temporarily contracted . . . involuntarily.âÂ
I glare at the droplets of liquid pooling on the counterâs surface.
Ninevehâs eyes grow wide, and she puts a gentle hand on my shoulder. âBring it in Aya! Obviously, heâs kidding!â I catch her glare at Tiamet as he sits there, propped against the counter with a sly smile pasted on his lips. Itâs like he gets some thrill at the ease of getting under my skin.
I take a deep breath. âNo, no. Itâs a good thing to discuss if weâre working together. Having a similar target outcome will help everyone in the long run,â I say to them, but the words are more for me. Maybe I can eventually convince myself of this truth.
âSo . . . letâs elaborate then,â Tiamet says. The bartender sets a tall glass in front of him. In return, he offers the man a smile and a nod before bringing it to his lips.
âItâs simple, really. I donât find it beneficial to our intellectual progress to create a species for one reason alone.â I lift my gaze to him while placing a napkin over the droplets on the counter. âImagine if it were you, Tiamet, working one day, happy and stupid as you are, and out of nowhereâyou develop a new neural connection and notice something is off. What are we doing? Why are we doing it? Maybe Iâm the only one with any of this intelligence we all keep talking about . . . or at least the only one with enough to anticipate that these beings getting smarter, instead of staying mindless, is inevitable.â
I like Tiamet, but his teasing can go too far with little effort. I donât know if Iâll ever understand his fascination with it. Is that just me, though? Am I one of those sensitive people everyone jokes about? Our eye contact holds while I attempt to hide the tremble in my chest. I rub my eyes, offering a temporary relief from the weight of the late night and conversation. If he thinks pushing in on my boundaries will make me open up, he is mistaken.
A strong, gentle hand lands on my shoulder, making me catch my breath.
âDonât worry, Aya. If anyone can make this work, itâs you.â Tiametâs hushed voice is inviting, like a soft blanket wanting to engulf my entire soul and extinguish the flame of problems in my chest. My heart pounds so loud Iâm certain he can hear it. I hold my breath until the warmth of his fingertips slips away. After gaining my composure, I peer over my shoulder to watch him mingle with another group.
âHeâs right, you know. I mean . . . heâs a complete ego maniac, and not worth your time if Iâm being honest, but just now, I think I may have seen a glimpse of what you like about him.â Nineveh always seems to make sense of my emotions before I can, with little comments like this. Maybe sheâs just more observant than me.
âWhat do you mean âwhat I like about himâ?â I empty my glass and tip it toward the bartender before looking at her.
âOhh, sweetie. You canât fake it with me. Itâs so obvious you have a crush on him. Itâs actually rather painful to watch.â Nineveh giggles as I glance over my shoulder again. âSee! Your expression goes soft, and you blush every time you look at him!â
I jerk my eyes to her. âGet off! I do not.â Desperate to keep my eyes from wandering back to Tiamet, I examine Ninevehâs red hair. How do those curls stay in such perfect form throughout the entirety of every day?
âYou can deny it until the sun explodes, but that wonât help you feel any better about it.â She crosses her ankles and pops a mint into her mouth.
âI donât want to âfeel betterâ about it. Besides . . . fantasies are always better than the real thing.â My tone mellows as my gaze drifts back to Tiamet.Â
âWell then, I wonât sit here and watch you torture yourself. To be frank, Aya? You need to get him one-on-one and tell him how you feel! Youâll be more content either knowing he feels the same or, in the off chance he doesnât, you can let go and move on.â After grabbing her bag from the hook under the counter, she flings the strap over her shoulder and stands from her chair. âGo talk to him! Then get yourself some rest. Iâll see you tomorrow!â She turns and walks away, the click clack of her heels fading as she exits.
I come out of my trance and look at the increased emptiness of the room. Itâs as though the last four hours passed by in a moment. Was I lost in a zombie-like state the whole time? After taking care of my bill, I push myself to stand, hands sliding on the smooth surface of the bar, before I make my way to the exit. I push the swinging doors open, revealing a dark starry night overhead with street lights letting off their dim purple haze.Â
A gentle breeze brushes over me with ease, eroding the weight of the earlier conversation away. Focusing on putting one foot in front of the other, I smile at the memory of Tiametâs hand on my shoulder, his voice echoing in my head, making my heart race and my lungs heavy.
While I turn the corner, away from the Zeyo, a shimmering bright-green light pans from one side of the sky to the other. The sand-faced homes lining the street cast strange shadows as their basic, uniform cubed shapes dance under the waving light above.
My heart swells with gratitude at my luck in witnessing such a rare event. Could it really be late enough for me to see the elusive aurora? Streams of light wisp around the stars in a tango. The slow movements, beautiful and mesmerizing, captivate me and pull me to sway with them in the breeze.
I donât know how much time passes while I stand there dancing with the sky, but by the time Iâm home, Iâm ready to collapse. Tomorrow marks the real start to an extensive journey. The Council has already selected the destination, the planet to save our own: a planet we call Earth.
Suffering from work-related anxiety is bad enough, but what if your job involved a mission to rescue your entire world from extinction? Meet Ayathesti--the main character of Mily Ketchum's relationship-driven science fiction novel Extension--a geneticist of the Mujai people who is undergoing this stressful predicament.
Aya has been struggling since her dad passed away: she aggressively focuses on her work, often drinks in the evening to calm her nerves, and doesn't get along very well with people. Even worse, she has a huge crush on her co-worker Tiamet, but she never seems to be able to say the right thing around him. Tiamet is leading the expedition Aya's going on to save the planet, so she'll need to learn how to reconcile her feelings if The Extension Project is going to succeed.
Aya and Tiamet's home planet, Naratu, needs gold dust in the atmosphere to avoid destruction; the world's governing body, The Council, has determined a solution to maintaining the gold supply. The Mujai will collect DNA from a compatible species on a planet called Earth and splice the DNA with their own to create a genetic hybrid. These new creatures will work to supply gold for Naratu.
Even though Aya is the lead geneticist on this mission, she doesn't agree with The Council's decision. It seems like the Mujai are creating slaves to solve their problems, instead of working out a solution on their own. Despite Aya's reservations, she has to go along with this plan in order to ensure her planet's survival. Tiamet and Aya (along with other work companions, including their friends Nineveh and Latif) must set off on a lengthy journey to Earth quickly, as the atmospheric situation on Naratu is rapidly deteriorating. On Earth, the team will encounter unfamiliar environments--and bipedal creatures that could be friend or foe. Will Aya go along with the mission and get along with Tiamet, or will she align with the beings of Earth instead?
Extension is mostly focused on the relationships between the main characters, their arguments and potential romances, as opposed to the machinations of the larger science fictional world in which they occur. Ketchum smartly switches back and forth between Aya and Tiamet's narrative voices, highlighting tensions and misunderstandings along the way as the plot develops. I'd recommend this book for readers looking for a complicated psychological romance taking place on a different planet, with a dangerous space journey as the backdrop and setting for character development.