Bad Luck Charm

At the back end of nothing, a deep space transport is bleeding atmosphere. After its AI navigator ignored uncharted debris, the ship's automated repair protocols have activated. And for crewman Torev, trapped in the path of swarming repair bots, the cost is his life. His fate has been sealed not by the vacuum of space, but by a cold, corporate algorithm that has calculated his death as an acceptable loss.Watching the inevitable on a tiny emerald screen is Franz, the ship's only other survivor. For years, he has resented Torev—the infuriatingly pragmatic bully who is, in his final moments, proving to be infuriatingly brave. Now, as the ship's machines methodically entomb his crewmate, these two bitter rivals are all each other have left. Locked in a final, desperate conversation, Franz can do nothing but bear witness as the man he never understood faces an automated execution.​​​​​​​An algorithm decided he would die. A story decided how he would be remembered.