Search Worlds Without End

This short story originally appeared in Clarkesworld Magazine, November 2008. It can also be found in the anthology Clarkesworld: Year Three (2013), edited by Neil Clarke and Sean Wallace.

Read the full story for free at Clarkesworld.

Multiple award-winning authors Mike Resnick and Lezli Robyn get to the heart of the matter in Soulmates, which showcases all the words they have penned together over their years as collaborators (with a bonus solo piece by each).

Whether with a robot, alien, some kind of supernatural being or human, rising above our prejudices and ignorance allows us to make emotional connections that can have a profound effect on our lives. Each of these stories examines a facet of the simple, yet incredibly complex, concept of companionship. They will make you laugh, they will make you cry... but most importantly, they will make you look at the very basic notion of soul-mates in a different light.

Table of Contents:

• Introduction
• Benchwarmer (2009)
• Idle Roomer (2008) (read online for free in Clarkesworld magazine)
• Report From the Field (2010)
• Anne-Droid of Green Gables (2010) [only by Lezli Robyn]
• Hunting the Snark (1999) [only by Mike Resnick]
• The Close Shave (2010)
• Making the Cut (2012)
• Shame (2010)
• Soulmates (2009) (read or listen online for free at EscapePod magazine)

When Keelarah, Lead Interrogator in the Neuropsych subdivision of the Cartheeli Military Caste, first meets the alien, she is prepared to do her duty. He is a trespasser on her planet, has caused the death of someone dear to her, and it is imperative she find out where he's come from and whether his kind poses a threat to her and her people. Often ruthless in her techniques, the interrogator uses her telepathic and empathic abilities to assault his mind, to draw out any whisper of information that can give them a better idea of what - who - they are dealing with.

But she isn't prepared for the prisoner to defend himself with comparable talents, to disarm her with equally astute observations. Chief Surveyor Forrest Brown might not be the best example of humanity, but he doesn't have to be to show Keelarah what it is to be humane. As they get to know each other, the line between captor and prisoner blur, which begs the question: is having different origins a more important factor, or the ability to find common ground? What if mutual alienation leads to the most profound bond of all?