The Island of Hope (16 page)

For the first time Andor's voice rang with amazement, "Did you know anything about it?"

Simeon nodded, unable to take his eyes off the concentric circles of pale blue light. "These are the children of the colonists. To save them from the horrors of the war, their parents sent them aboard
Starborne Citadel
. Now you know why the crew fought to the last."

The android approached the nearest chamber and peered through the transparent lid. A blond girl about five years old lay there enveloped in a shroud of hibernation gas.

Simeon remembered what Admiral Vorontsov's had said back on Stellar, so far away from
Citadel
: "
You'd have to take a new generation and raise them a couple thousand parsecs away from Stellar!
"

A faint smile touched his lips. Some scary stories might still have a happy ending.

Here lay those who were destined to become the world's future.

THE END

About the Author

Andrei Livadny is a popular Russian science fiction author. Born on May 27 1969 in the city of Pskov, he was an avid reader from an early age. But it was the Russian translation of Robert A. Heinlein's
The Orphans of the Sky
that decided his choice of future occupation. The story has become a pivotal moment in the boy's life, leaving a lasting impression on him.

Andrei wrote his first book at the age of eight. Since then, he's never stopped working on new books. His passion for science fiction has gradually become his career.

In 1998, Andrei debuted in Russia's leading publishing house EKSMO with his novella
The Island of Hope
. Since then, he has penned over 90 books that have enjoyed a total of 153 editions.

Andrei has created several unique worlds, each unlike the previous. He wrote
A History of Our Galaxy
with humanity itself as a protagonist. This sixty-book series creates a history of our future civilization and its contacts with alien races, forming a convincing and logical picture of humanity's development for two millennia from now.

Besides hard science fiction, Andrei Livadny also works in cyberpunk genres which allow him to focus on human relationships and raise questions about artificial intelligence and identity uploading, describing cyberspace as humanity's future environment.

The English translation of
A History of Our Galaxy
will be available shortly. Check
the author's Russian-language site
for updates.