Silas wants out of the criminal life, but to do so he must cross somevery powerful people.

Silas's Last Score

from the collection "Songs of Sol"

adapted and expanded upon by Adam Wong from The Long Chase, © 2002 Geoffrey A. Landis. Lightspeed Magazine

The Setup: Silas has been the Don's most reliable "problem solver" for centuries - handling everything from rival gang disputes to "convincing" reluctant business partners. But he's grown tired of the constant violence and wants to disappear into the outer systems.

The Score:

• The Don's "Legacy Wallet" - containing the original BTC mined during the human era • Access codes to forgotten asteroid claims worth fortunes • Blackmail data on Cooperative officials that could buy protection

The Complication: The Cooperative has been making moves to "clean up" Pluto-Charon.L1, and they've scheduled a "negotiation" with the Don that coincides with Silas's planned heist. When the meeting turns into an ambush, Silas finds himself caught between:

1 The Don's Enforcers - who think he's part of the betrayal 2 Cooperative Nanotech - trying to convert/absorb everyone 3 His Own Escape Plan - now completely compromised

Key Moments:

• Silas accessing the vault while the firefight erupts outside • The moment he realizes he's been betrayed by someone he trusted • Having to choose between saving his stolen fortune or saving his "soul" • An unexpected alliance with another rogue element