I couldn't believe I was finally in front of an

audience reading from Panic Force. I'd dreamed of

the moment for so long that the moment itself

now felt like a dream, though my dreams never

had fake plants. Fitting, I thought, since all Earth

plants in Rex Lawson's world are made of plastic.

"As light from the red and blue suns converged

and diverged around them," I began, "an eerie

calm fell over Space Base." Five years of pure

energy rushed from the page to my eyes and out

of my mouth. "Rex turned to his companion

droid and asked about family. There are no

families, only incubation queues, the droid

replied." But there has to be love, right? Please

tell me yes, even if it's a lie. As I turned the page

and read "the intergalactic council will never

approve of a level five commando passing

through the crystal vortex," I thought about how

meaningful the words were to me when I wrote

them. Just for fun I wore Giancarlo's vibrating

underpants. It was the epilogue. This was the

experience. I knew it was happening and I loved

every minute of it.