Laura Peters

Voyage of the Volery Defrost Laura Peters

Those who planned humanity's escape from a doomed Earth didn't wait for crowdfunding or positive public opinion polls. Construction on the UESS Volery was well underway when stories about Apophis colliding with Earth began to move from pseudo-science blogs to the front pages of the Associated Press. The ship was assembled in space, secretly, on the far side of the moon, and they finished her ahead of schedule. That was lucky. The world was running out of time. Soon afterward people could see Apophis with their naked eyes. George A. C. Voler spent his entire fortune on her. She was officially Named: ""Volery,"" but George had ""Voler's Folly"" emblazoned on her side. Somehow Anna Smith had been accepted as a deckhand second class in the Volery's Civilian Conservation Corps even though she hadn't officially qualified. When it was time to leave Earth, Anna rode the shuttle transport, and then she sank obediently into the deep freeze. It was going to be a long trip, and luck had run out.