The Portal’s Gift
By Carol Holland March
“Are we clear to land?” The captain’s gaze didn’t stray from the controls of the landing craft.
“Clear,” his copilot said. “Level ground near those hills.”
Josh had already targeted the hills. Since their first hyperspace jump together the year before, he and Paris were in sync, needing few words to complete their missions. The Teneran copilot had assumed the name Paris from Earth history to make himself more relatable to humans. At the command of his superiors, Josh assumed. Names notwithstanding, they had gone from uneasy colleagues to friends. Sometimes Josh swore he could hear his copilot’s thoughts, which came in handy as they jumped across vast distances with the aid of the Teneran star drive.
The Marco Polo was the first Earth spaceship
