Freedom of Navigation, by Val Nolan

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(Military SF) The narrator flies for the Martian government, but a routine operation turns into a fight with the Belt Republic and his own equipment. (8,797 words; Time: 29m)

Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average

"Freedom of Navigation," by Val Nolan [bio] (edited by Andy Cox), appeared in Interzone issue 268, published on January 15, 2017 by TTA Press.

Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)

Pro: He does escape, in a way, and he's united with Red, which is the only person he really seems to have any feelings for. From the name "Martian Co-prosperity sphere," we assume that the Martian government is totalitarian (see Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere), so escaping from it is a good thing. We're also not surprised that the Centaurs are programmed to detect and punish treason.

The story has plenty of tension and plenty of excitement.

Con: The science is pretty bad. Gravity on an asteroid would be so low that an injured leg would hardly be noticed. Falling down would take a long time and not hurt. There's not enough hydrogen in space to refuel a ship, and uploading a mind to the AI by accident is awfully hard to believe. Also, references to things like "interplanetary airspace" are just jarring.

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