2019 Revision
THE GRACE SEEKERS
What if an ancient discovery's true purpose was misinterpreted?
This speculative novelette focuses on the after effects that's occurred on several worlds when mankind gains entrance into mysterious buildings left from an advanced civilization. The doors of these strange temples are unlocked at long last and the promise of new life is discovered for downtrodden souls seeking solace.
Survival's the only thing on Tran's mind. She's a simple plains-dweller driven to a space port city by a relentless drought on Grir. She arrives with the only family member left to her—a younger brother. Out of options to protect and feed him, Tran tosses caution aside.
They both fall prey to a conniving merchant. He's plotting with an off-worlder. He holds Tran and her brother captive until she performs an impossible task. The merchant and the off-worlder want her to sabotage a carefully guarded ancient temple. Several of these edifices exist on Tran's planet. They're puzzling legacies from a long-dead race called the Krar, who once dominated her star system. All anyone knows for certain about the ancient constructions is that entering one will cause drastic alterations in a person's personality.
Tran doesn't trust these frightening mysteries, but her badly injured brother's life is waning. She's forced to seek help from a dreaded, unlikely source—a temple guardian. Then she discovers startling truths about the temples. Tran must make difficult decisions to save her brother and to help prevent a mistake from destroying her people and the off-worlder Humans.
