Against the Stars, by James Gunn

[Asimov's]

★★☆☆☆

(Fantasy Science; In Our Stars) A group of scientists and spiritual leaders gathers to discuss what to do about a hostile alien AI that might threaten the Earth or might not exist at all. (14,030 words; Time: 46m)

This story is a direct sequel to In Our Stars and will be hard to make sense of if you haven’t read that one first.

In Our Stars, by James Gunn

[Asimov's]

★★☆☆☆

(SF Adventure; In Our Stars) Harry travels all over the late 21st-Century world looking for answers to his questions about certain coincidental events that seem to be more than coincidences, suggesting there may be a meaning to life after all. (14,716 words; Time: 49m)