I've had the intention for a while to write a linked sequence of short stories under the title of "Exopsychology". I have got so far as to write the first story in the collection - around 2,000 words - and it starts like this.
“I could’ve made a mistake with Vine” murmured Admiral Wallax. He was mostly talking to himself but I sashayed over anyway, to show interest. “He’s formally qualified, but I sometimes wonder, has he got the imagination, the sheer IQ for this level of mission?”
I ran my hands slowly through my hair as his eyes caught mine.
“Tina, do we have any updates on intentions, capabilities or dispositions?”
I shook my head and answered “Still black blobs the other side of the moon. We won’t really know anything better till Vine gets some kind of contact.”
But of course, he already knew that. ... more
As well as the more direct reference to human motivation, the title also refers to an automatic theorem proving technology which finds its way into the latter part of the story.
Let me know if you think it works: it all motivates me to spend time developing the characters and plot.
